OPS 47. Mapping the Terrain: Exploring Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Roma Programming in an Enlarged European Union

This paper provides an overview of the monitoring and evaluation strategies adopted at multiple levels of governance by various stakeholders who express a desire to improve the living conditions of the Romani minority of Central and Eastern Europe and ensure their participation in public and political life. It is argued that in spite of international and national rhetoric in favour of participatory approaches to Roma issues among some international and national bodies, with a few exception, current approaches to monitoring and evaluation tend to exclude Roma input and fail to provide an accurate picture of the lived reality of the Roma on the ground.