Politiky bez drene: Externé hodnotenie implementácie Stratégie Slovenskej republiky pre rovnosť, inklúziu a participáciu Rómov do roku 2030. Obdobie 2022-2024

It is an analytical monograph that combines an evaluative mandate with theoretical frameworks from the social sciences, 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 and supporting participation. The publication is intended primarily for policy-makers and policy implementers at the national and local levels, professionals in state administration and local government, academics and students in the fields of ethnology, social anthropology, social policy and public administration, as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations and European institutions engaged in Roma inclusion. The metaphorical title Policies Without Marrow captures the central finding: in the area of Roma inclusion, the state resembles a “chronic patient” with an ostensibly relatively healthy “central nervous system” (the strategic layer), but with a chronically dysfunctional “bone marrow” that is unable to produce the essential life-giving fluid—“blood”—that is, political will, stable institutional capacity, and majority solidarity with marginalised Roma. Strategic documents are, at an abstract level, largely relevant and aligned with European frameworks; however, in the translation into action plans and everyday practice, gaps, logical discontinuities and extreme dependence on project-based funding emerge, with many activities implemented only partially or in a purely formal manner. In their conclusions, the authors demonstrate that the evaluated strategy has been aligned to some degree with European frameworks, yet—as in other Central and Eastern European countries—implementation remains fragmented, project-dependent and inadequately anchored in state institutions and stable processes. The analysis suggests that the principal “hidden pathology” of the system is the persistent anti-Roma racism and lack of majority solidarity with marginalised Roma, and its entanglement with institutional practice, discourse and everyday interactions. The monograph therefore recommends strengthening the mandate and capacities of coordinating bodies, reducing dependence on project-based funding, systematically involving Roma—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. It also underscores the need for long-term work on public opinion, education and historical memory, without which even formally modern inclusion policies will remain “without marrow”—unable to sustain the life-giving energy of social change.