Regional experiences and Roma housing: using the human rights-based approach to critically evaluate the content of Roma housing action plans in Greece and Slovakia

Abstract

Can we use human rights-related tools to critically evaluate the content of state policies addressed to vulnerable groups or for that matter any policy relating to the realisation of human rights? By means of two case studies, this thesis is trying to determine how state policies, plans or programmes can violate or protect the constituents of specific human rights and at the same time analyse hidden aspects that relate to the administrative or bureaucratic mentalities or politics that use human rights terminology but actually conceal either an unwillingness to assume responsibility and ownership or hide embedded practices that lead to hidden exclusion. The methodology followed here attempts to analyse the core content of the right to adequate housing, evaluate practices and their impact through the prism of the HRBA principles and conclude to what extent the state core obligations can be judged as having been met. It tries to unfold the instances of double talk and urge for a deeper understanding of national realities before judging the effectiveness of public administration and policies.