CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2017
| Author | Demir, Manuela |
|---|---|
| Title | Who Creates and Who Follows the "Rules of the Game"? Rethinking Roma Political Representation in Macedonia and Slovakia |
| Summary | In recent years, the Roma- the largest European minority, have become a key priority of international institutions such as the European Commission and the Council of Europe. A similar interest has also been shown by policy-makers and scholars from disciplines such as sociology and social anthropology. In political science, one of the topics which gained attention is the political (under-) representation of the Roma at national and transnational levels. However, the under-representation of Roma in recent scholarship is explained mostly based on sociological understandings and methods which limit the possibility to examine questions of power relations, and agency in political processes such as the representation of minorities. Using the currently dominant approach in political science, new institutionalism, this thesis focuses on the question: in which ways can political institutions discourage Roma representation? Moreover, linked to the first question, the thesis attempt to bring into the debate the question: how are institutional structures and rules used by political actors to keep power relations between majority and minorities in their favor? Hence, tracing two cases of Roma representation, in Macedonia and Slovakia, the thesis open space for a theoretical discussion on how political institutions through their formal and informal rules shape the dynamics of Roma representation. Relying on qualitative interviewing and on secondary sources, the thesis provides insights on how the features of the electoral systems, party regulations and informal rules embodied in the political system are used by mainstream parties in order to preserve the political marginalization of the Roma beyond their ‘natural” under-representation. |
| Supervisor | Sgier, Lea |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2017/demir_manuela.pdf |
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