A Quantitative Assessment of the Social Marginalization in Romania

Authors: Andra Costache, Rădiţa Alexe

Abstract:

The analysis of the spatial disparities of social marginalization is a requirement in the present-day socio-economic and political context of Romania, an East-European state, member of the European Union since 2007, at present faced with the imperatives of the growth of its territorial cohesion. The main objective of this article is to develop a methodology for the assessment of social marginalization, in order to understand the intensity of the marginalization phenomenon at different spatial scales. The article proposes a social marginalization index (SMI), calculated through the integration of ten indicators relevant for the two components of social marginalization: the material component and the symbolical component. The results highlighted a strong connection between the total degree of social marginalization and the dependence on social benefits, unemployment rate, non-inclusion in the compulsory education, criminality rate, and the type of pension insurance.

Keywords: Romania, social marginalization index, territorial disparities.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1088804

References:

[1] G. Bădescu, V. Grigoraş, C. Rughiniş, M. Voicu, and O. Voicu, Barometrul Incluziunii Romilor (Roma Inclusion Barometer). Open Society Foundation. Bucharest, Romania, 2007, http://www.edrc.ro/ docs/docs/cercetari/Barometrul-incluziunii-romilor.pdf, Centrul de Resurse pentru Diversitate Etnoculturală (Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center, last accessed 15 April 2013).
[2] DGASPC, Evoluţii în domeniul protecţiei copilului (Evolutions in the field of child protection). DGASPC: Direcţia Generală de Asistenţă Socială şi Protecţia Copilului (General Direction of Social Assistance and Child Protection). Bucharest, Romania, 2011, http://www.mmuncii.ro/pub/imagemanager/images/file/Statistica/Buletin%20statistic/2011/BS%20copii-site%2030_09_%202011.pdf (last accessed 15 April 2013).
[3] V. Gheţău, “O proiectare condiţionata a populaţiei României pe principalele naţionalităţi 1992-2025” (A conditional projection of the Romanian population on main nationalities 1992-2025). Revista de Cercetări Sociale 1, 1996, pp. 77-105.
[4] G.S. Gurung and M. Kollmair, Marginality: concepts and their limitations. The Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South, IP6 Working Paper no. 4, 2005, www.nccr-north-south.unibe.ch (last accessed 11 July 2012).
[5] C.M. Kagan, and M. Burton, “Marginalization”, in Community Psychology: In pursuit of well-ness and liberation, ed. G. Nelson and I. Prilleltensky, London, U.K.: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004, pp. 293-208
[6] F.I. Matheson, J. R. Dunn, K. L. W. Smith, R. Moineddin, and R. H. Glazier, Can-Marg. Canadian Marginalization Index. User Guide. Version 1.0. Centre for Research on Inner City Health. Toronto, Canada, 2006, http://www.crunch.mcmaster.ca/canadian-marginalization-index (last accessed 15 April 2013).
[7] MMFPS, Studiu de impact asupra măsurilor promovate prin Legea 416/2001 privind venitul minim garantat (Impact of the measures promoted by Law 416/2001 on the guaranteed minimum income). MMFPS: Ministerul Muncii, Familiei şi Protecţiei Sociale (Romanian Ministry of Work, Family and Social Protection). Bucharest, 2012, http://www.mmuncii.ro/pub/imagemanager/images/file/Domenii/Incluziune%20si%20asistenta%20sociala/raportari/Studiu_VMG_2011.pdf (last accessed 15 April 2013).
[8] National Institute of Infectious Diseases Prof. Dr. Matei Balş, HIV/AIDS Database. Department for Monitoring and Evaluating HIV/AIDS in Romania, 2011, http://www.cnlas.ro/images/doc/romania_ 31dec_2011.pdf (last accessed 15 April 2013).
[9] R.E. Park, “Human migration and the Marginal Man”, American Journal of Sociology 33 (6), 1928, pp. 881-93.
[10] A. Sandu and S. Cojocaru, “Automarginalizare şi vulnerabilitate socială” (Self-marginalization and social vulnerability), in Dezvoltarea minorităţilor etno-culturale. Integrare europeană şi interculturalitate (Development of ethno-cultural minorities. European integration and interculturalism), V. Miftode, D. Nacu, S. Cojocaru, and A. Sandu, Iaşi, Romania: Expert Projects, 2003, pp. 43-54.
[11] D. Sandu, Comunităţile de Romi din Romania. O harta a sărăciei comunitare prin sondajul PROROMI (Roma Social Mapping. Targeting by a Community Poverty Survey). Bucharest: World Bank, 2005.
[12] L. Sommers, A. Mehretu, and B. Pigozzi, “Towards typologies of socio-economic marginality: North/South Comparisons”, in Marginality in Space – Past, Present and Future: Theoretical and methodological aspects of cultural, social and economical parameters of marginal and critical regions, ed. J. H. Majoral and C. C. Mutambirwa, England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 1999, pp. 7-24.
[13] UNESCO, Reaching the marginalized. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2010.
[14] I. Weiler, “Soziale Randgruppen in der antiken Welt. Einführung und wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Aspekte. Ausgewählte Literatur zur historischen Randgruppenforschung” (Marginalized social groups in the ancient world. Introduction and historical aspects of science. Selected literature on the edge of historical research group), in Soziale Randgruppen und Außenseiter im Altertum, ed. I. Weiler and H. Graßl, Graz, 1988, pp. 11-40.
[15] E. R. Wiehn, “Grupurile sociale marginale. Mecanismele separării” (Marginal social groups. Separation mechanisms), in Minoritari, marginali, excluşi (Minority, marginalized, excluded), A. Neculau and G. Ferreol, Iaşi, Romania: Polirom, 1996, pp. 222-29.
[16] I. M. Young, “Five faces of oppression”, in Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, ed. M. Adams, New York: Routledge, 2000, pp. 35-49.
[17] C. Zamfir and M. Preda, Romii din Romania (Roma in Romania), Bucharest, Romania: Expert, 2002.