THE ASPECT OF CULTURE IN THE SOCIAL INCLUSION OF ETHNIC MINORITIES: ASSESSING THE CULTURAL POLICIES OF SIX MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The Project

This project proposes to evaluate the cultural policies introduced in National Action Plans (NAPs) on Social Inclusion under the European Union’s Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) by six member states (Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Sweden) in terms of their impact on promoting social inclusion of ethnic minorities, including Roma/Sinti groups. The specific added value of this evaluation will be the piloting of a set of Common Inter-Cultural Indicators (CICIs) feasible for cost-effectiveness analyses and benchmarking within the EU. 

Although there is widespread agreement that “culture counts,� there seems less understanding of what it entails to address cultural aspects of social exclusion. However, the evaluation of the success rate of cultural policies raises a number of issues in terms of the definition of culture. Do we operate with thin or thick definitions? Do we operate with a bracketed definition, or must we take a holistic approach? What areas of cultural life contribute to the promotion of social inclusion, and which risk exclusion? How do we link culture to socio-economic exclusion? Do we find the answers in the Gross Domestic Products, or must we search for different sources? Not only does the complex reality of culture make it difficult to define measuring tools, it has also been almost impossible to map culture with a view to measuring and benchmarking.

Defining a common framework of comparable cultural indicators is fraught with problems and there is a general scepticism regarding the link between culture and social inclusion. The complex reality of culture renders the goal of seeking comparable indicators virtually unattainable. However, even though precise rankings between member states are not possible, broad comparisons are, and changes over time can be discerned. There is therefore a dire need to seek to develop a good working framework of cultural indicators that address the social exclusion of members of ethnic minorities within the EU.

Aims and Objectives

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of cultural policies of the NAPs of six member states aimed at the social inclusion of ethnic minorities through the piloting of a framework of CICIs. With the goal to enhance cultural policies in NAPs on Social Inclusion under the EU’s OMC process, a number of specific objectives will aide in supporting this aim:  

• Improved NAPs through increased use of inter-cultural indicators in policies on ethnic minorities, including Roma/Sinti groups
• Improved inter-cultural indicators through the piloting of a feasible framework of CICIs
• Improved capacity of member states’ agencies to define and use inter-cultural indicators and integrate cross-sectoral co-operation
• Heightened awareness of previous applied research on the importance of cultural policies on social inclusion 
• Improved knowledge and mutual learning of deficiencies in NAPs in terms of inter-cultural indicators
• Increased informing of other social inclusion policies
• Enhanced capacity of the OMC to address inter-cultural challenges in the area of ethnic minorities

 
Outputs

This project will contribute to the further development of NAPs in the specific area of cultural policies aimed at promoting the social inclusion of ethnic minorities by working with stakeholders in the relevant ministries and government departments as well as civil society throughout the process of the evaluation. Specific outputs will include:

• Separate evaluation studies of six NAPs on Social Inclusion that include cultural policies and represent member states of comparable size,
• Comparative analysis of impact of cultural policies in NAPs on Social Inclusion
• Comparative analysis of cost-effectiveness of cultural policies
• Proposal for OMC framework of CICIs based on comparable member states and drawing on a regional outlook

 
Methodology and Activities

Phase One of the project consists of field research in each of the selected member states involving sociological and cultural anthropological studies as well as communication studies that survey local actions and sources with a view to evaluate the extent of inter-cultural dialogue, exchange and understanding as well as the level of tolerance. Research tools will include stakeholder focus groups, questionnaires, interviews and seminars.

Phase Two comprises a major comparative study of the results found and includes economic cost-effectiveness and benchmarking analyses.

Workshop meetings for the consortium of research teams will be the main transversal activities (February, July and October). A final dissemination conference will introduce the results to the general EU public in Flensburg (October).

Project Partners

Estonia
Prof. Aksel Kirch
Institute for European Studies,
Audentes University
Tallinn

Latvia
Prof. Brigita Zepa
Baltic Institute of Social Sciences
Riga

Czech Republic
Milada Horakova
Research Institute of Labour and Social Affairs
Prague

Slovak Republic
Dr. Michal VaÅ¡eÄ?ka
Center for Ethnicity and Culture
Bratislava

Slovenia
Prof. Mitja Žagar
Institute for Ethnic Studies
Ljubljana

Sweden
Prof. Antoinette Hetzler
Department of Sociology
Lund University

Lund

 
Consultants

Prof. Francois Grin
Université de Genève & Service de la recherche en éducation
Geneva, Switzerland

Mr. Michele Gazzola
Ecole de traduction et d'interprétation,
Université de Genève

Dr. Deborah Mabbett
Birkbeck College
University of London

Dr. Andreas Hieronymus
Institute for Migration and Racism Research
Hamburg
 
Contact Details

The Evaluation project on the Impact of Inclusion Policies under the Open Method of Co-ordination is co-ordinated by the MEU Programme at the European Centre for Minority Issues:

 OMC Evaluation

MEU Programme
European Centre for Minority Issues
Schiffbruecke 12
D-24939 Flensburg
Germany

Phone: +49 461 19190
Fax: +49 461 1919919
E-mail: omc@ecmi-EU.org

 
Project Director:
Dr. Tove H. Malloy
Senior Research Associate,
Head, EU Programme,
ECMI

Project Manager:
Ms. Ulrike Schmidt
Research Associate,
ECMI

Scientific Consultant:
Dr. Eben Friedman,
Regional Representative for Romani Integration
ECMI Macedonia

Public Information Officer:
William McKinney
Librarian
ECMI

The project is financially supported by European Union’s Social Protection and Social Integration Policy (Contract No. VS/2005/0686)

Download brochure about the project

Learn more about the First Workshop

Agenda for the 2nd Workshop: 13th and 14th of July 2006

Learn more about the Dissemination Conference on 17th of October 2006

 
Links

S.P.I.D.E.R. Web

Institute for European Studies, Tallinn  

Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs, Prague  

Institute of Public Policy, Faculty of Social and Economic Science  

Institute for Ethnic Studies, Ljubljana  

Department of Sociology, Lund

Unit for Education Research, Geneva  

ECMI Roma Programme