New Publication Policies Without Marrow
The research team of the Roma Studies thematic cluster at the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, led by T. Zachar Podolinská and A. Belák, has prepared a scholarly monograph entitled Policies Without Marrow. This academic social-science publication presents an independent external evaluation of the implementation of the “Strategy of the Slovak Republic for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of Roma until 2030” for the period 2022–2024, commissioned by the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities.
The analytical monograph combines an evaluative mandate with social-science expertise, examining in detail the mechanisms, barriers and context of Roma inclusion in Slovakia across five key areas: education, housing, employment, health, and combating anti-Roma racism. The publication is intended primarily for policymakers and policy implementers at the national and local level, professionals in state and municipal administration, academics and students in the fields of social policy, ethnology, social anthropology and public administration, as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations and European institutions engaged in Roma inclusion. The central finding of the evaluation is that the relevant strategic inclusion documents are, at an abstract level, largely relevant and aligned with European frameworks; however, significant gaps and logical discontinuities emerge when these documents are translated into action plans and everyday practice, with many activities implemented only partially, only formally, or not at all.
The title Policies Without Marrow captures this central finding metaphorically: in the area of Roma inclusion, the state resembles a chronic patient with a functioning “central nervous system” and organs of considerable capacity, yet suffering from a disorder in the distribution of energy — as if the body lacked the “healthy blood” needed to nourish an otherwise reasonably designed course of treatment. Consistent with analogous findings elsewhere across Europe, the “bone marrow leukaemia” responsible for this condition appears to be anti-Roma racism—largely unconsciously normalised across all layers of society and sustained by a broadly weak historical awareness of the origins of excluded Roma settlements.
The authors of the publication—A. Mušinka, A. Rochovská, D. Škobla, T. Hrustič, A. Belák, T. Zachar Podolinská—recommend strengthening the mandate and capacities of coordinating bodies, reducing dependence on project-based funding, more systematically involving Roma men and women (including the most vulnerable subgroups) in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies, and expanding the indicator framework to include deeper attitudinal and structural measures. They also emphasise the need for sustained long-term work with public opinion, education and historical memory, without which modern inclusion policies will be unable to generate the momentum required for genuine social change in this area.
The publication also includes an extensive English-language summary of its aims, findings and recommendations, making it accessible to an international readership. The publication is available both in print and as an open-access e-book under the international CC BY 4.0 licence and is indexed in the DOAB database.
Prepared by: T. Zachar Podolinská and A. Belák
