New methods in data collection on discrimination against Roma in public services (ADinPS)

Acronym: 
ADinPS
Principal Investigator: 
Marek Hojsik
Researcher: 
Violetta Zentai
Administrator: 
Lilla Jakobs
Duration: 
May, 2020 to February, 2022
Funding: 
European Commission
Rights Equality and Citizenship Programme (REC)
Partner: 
Central European University, Hungary - project coordinator
Budapest Institute, Hungary
Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance - Amalipe, Bulgaria
ROMEA, Czechia
Autonomia Foundation, Hungary
Academic Area: 
Equality and Social Justice
Social Policy and Welfare Regimes

The project aimed to contribute to fighting discrimination that Roma face in accessing public services  through developing, piloting and disseminating methods of data collection that can be easily implemented by NGOs and used to monitor discrimination in a regular and systematic way.

A Guideline for NGOs on how to use “mystery shopping” method to detect and measure discrimination in a public service was developed in four languages:

During the project three grassroots NGOs, Amalipe (Bulgaria), ROMEA (Czechia) and Autonomia Foundation (Hungary) piloted the developed mystery shopping methodology in six experiments (two in each country):

  • Bulgaria: enrolment in school (online), access to municipal social housing (online),
  • Czechia: enrolment in school (online), renting municipal premises (online),
  • Hungary: enrolment in school (online), registration of car (in person),

and obtained data on discrimination that Roma face in accessing public services both accessed via online gateways and personal contact with providers. The findings of the analyses of collected data experience and results of the pilot experiments are summarised in Report on discrimination in public services available in four languages:

and in a Policy brief on discrimination against Roma in public services.

The NGOs participating in the project use the findings from the pilot experiments in their advocacy activities in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary and in the EU.

The piloted mystery shopping methodology was disseminated among civil society through a set of training workshops:

  • traning for trainers on 4 November 2021 (9 participants)
  • capacity building training for NGOs in Bulgaria on 3 December 2021 (7 particiapnts)
  • capacity building training for NGOs in Hungary on 13 December 2021 (5 particiapnts)
  • capacity building training for NGOs in Czechia on 15 December 2021 (8 particiapnts).

The methodology will be further disseminated within capacity-building activities within the Roma Civil Monitor 2021-2025 and will be available for more than 100 NGOs from 26 EU member states. A special training on the mystery shopping and monitoring of discrimination. in public services is planned for 2022.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (REC 2014-2020) under the grant agreement No. 881903.