Roma and Egyptians in Albania: From Social Exclusion to Social Inclusion (World Bank Working Papers)

This report provides key insights into the social exclusion processes that affect Roma and Egyptian communities in Albania - two of the most vulnerable minority communities in Albania. It offers advice on the design of concrete actions to facilitate the inclusion of Roma and Egyptian communities into Albanian society, and also includes feedback from the Roma and Egyptian communities on the study findings and recommendations. Roma and Egyptians in Albania includes supporting data collected via participatory methodologies conducted in eleven study sites to investigate the socio-economic, cultural, institutional, and historical situation of Roma and Egyptian communities across Albania. The report's proposed public policies and strategies on minority, poverty, and social exclusion issues have been endorsed by the Roma and Egyptian communities. Roma and Egyptians in Albania is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion.Although the standard of living has improved for the majority of the population in Albania during the country's process of creating a market economy, the Roma and the Egyptian communities have been negatively affected by the transition. They are now the poorest and most marginalized people in the country. Their skills do not match new labor market requirements, and they suffer from limited access to public services such as health and education. They also lack political voice which renders them unable to participate in or influence decisionmaking that affects their lives. Further, their traditional values of mutual assistance have been eroded as different clans are forced to compete for scarce resources.This study assesses the situation of the Roma and Egyptian communities in Albania, providing quantitative and qualitative data on these communities that can assist the Albanian government in drafting special programs for them. It also provides insights into potential social exclusion processes that affect these communities-insights which will help the government meet some of the European Union recommendations on ethnic minorities. Finally, the paper provides advice on the design of concrete actions that facilitate the inclusion of Roma and Egyptians in Albanian society. Hermine G. De Soto, Sabine Beddies, Ilir Gedeshi. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 261-267).