IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i2p202-d1335148.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring Spatial Proximity and Social Exclusion through Two Case Studies of Roma Settlements in Greece

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Maloutas

    (Department of Geography, Harokopio University, 17676 Athens, Greece)

  • Yannis Frangopoulos

    (Faculty of Engineering, School of Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Alexandra Makridou

    (Faculty of Engineering, School of Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Eirini Kostaki

    (Faculty of Engineering, School of Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Dimitris Kourkouridis

    (Faculty of Engineering, School of Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Stavros Nikiforos Spyrellis

    (National Centre for Social Research, Institute of Social Research, 10552 Athens, Greece)

Abstract

Roma groups in Greece are a long-standing socially deprived population that faces extreme social exclusion and segregation. Their marginalization includes limited access to education, employment, and housing. This paper explores their spatial position and social exclusion, comparing the social profile and life conditions in two case studies of Roma settlements with those of the municipal and regional units to which they belong. Methodologically, we analyze quantitative data from the 2011 Population Census to measure life conditions at three levels (settlement, municipal unit, regional unit), and we also use qualitative data from interviews with representatives of local agencies and residents of the two settlements to document our hypotheses on the causal relations between the spatial position and the social exclusion of Roma groups. The comparison shows that the two Roma settlements are clearly different from their entourage, assembling the lowest positions in the labor market, the weakest performances in education, the largest households, and the worst housing conditions. This case of extreme social exclusion in ghettoized spatial proximity raises the question about the significance of micro-segregation and the way it works in different contexts, as well as the need for further research for a more comprehensive understanding of the relation between social inequality and spatial distance.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Maloutas & Yannis Frangopoulos & Alexandra Makridou & Eirini Kostaki & Dimitris Kourkouridis & Stavros Nikiforos Spyrellis, 2024. "Exploring Spatial Proximity and Social Exclusion through Two Case Studies of Roma Settlements in Greece," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:2:p:202-:d:1335148
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/202/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/202/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ruth Lupton, 2003. "'Neighbourhood Effects': Can we measure them and does it matter?," CASE Papers 073, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    2. Linos, Katerina & Jakli, Laura & Carlson, Melissa, 2021. "Fundraising for Stigmatized Groups: A Text Message Donation Experiment," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 115(1), pages 14-30, February.
    3. Ruth Lupton, 2003. "Neighbourhood Effects: Can we measure them and does it matter?," CASE Papers case73, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    4. Lupton, Ruth, 2003. "'Neighbourhood effects': can we measure them and does it matter?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6327, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Plane, Jocelyn & Klodawsky, Fran, 2013. "Neighbourhood amenities and health: Examining the significance of a local park," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 1-8.
    2. Caitlin Robinson & Stefan Bouzarovski & Sarah Lindley, 2018. "Underrepresenting neighbourhood vulnerabilities? The measurement of fuel poverty in England," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 50(5), pages 1109-1127, August.
    3. Eleonore M Veldhuizen & Karien Stronks & Anton E Kunst, 2013. "Assessing Associations between Socio-Economic Environment and Self-Reported Health in Amsterdam Using Bespoke Environments," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-10, July.
    4. Mia Arp Fallov, 2010. "Community Capacity Building as the Route to Inclusion in Neighbourhood Regeneration?," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(4), pages 789-804, December.
    5. Elspeth Graham & David Manley & Rosemary Hiscock & Paul Boyle & Joe Doherty, 2009. "Mixing Housing Tenures: Is it Good for Social Well-being?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 46(1), pages 139-165, January.
    6. Alex Hirschfield & Mark Birkin & Chris Brunsdon & Nicolas Malleson & Andrew Newton, 2014. "How Places Influence Crime: The Impact of Surrounding Areas on Neighbourhood Burglary Rates in a British City," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(5), pages 1057-1072, April.
    7. Stanley, John K. & Hensher, David A. & Stanley, Janet R., 2022. "Place-based disadvantage, social exclusion and the value of mobility," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 101-113.
    8. David J. Madden, 2014. "Neighborhood as Spatial Project: Making the Urban Order on the Downtown Brooklyn Waterfront," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 471-497, March.
    9. Alasdair Rae, 2009. "Isolated Entities or Integrated Neighbourhoods? An Alternative View of the Measurement of Deprivation," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 46(9), pages 1859-1878, August.
    10. Brooke Sykes & Hans Kuyper, 2009. "Neighbourhood Effects on Youth Educational Achievement in the Netherlands: Can Effects Be Identified and Do They Vary by Student Background Characteristics?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(10), pages 2417-2436, October.
    11. Miguel Serra & Sophia Psarra & Jamie O'Brien, 2018. "Social and Physical Characterization of Urban Contexts: Techniques and Methods for Quantification, Classification and Purposive Sampling," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(1), pages 58-74.
    12. Martin Gächter & Engelbert Theurl, 2010. "Convergence of the Health Status at the Local Level: Empirical Evidence from Austria," NRN working papers 2010-09, The Austrian Center for Labor Economics and the Analysis of the Welfare State, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
    13. Rebecca Tunstall & Anne Green & Ruth Lupton & Simon Watmough & Katie Bates, 2014. "Does Poor Neighbourhood Reputation Create a Neighbourhood Effect on Employment? The Results of a Field Experiment in the UK," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(4), pages 763-780, March.
    14. Lars Brannstrom, 2004. "Poor Places, Poor Prospects? Counterfactual Models of Neighbourhood Effects on Social Exclusion in Stockholm, Sweden," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(13), pages 2515-2537, December.
    15. Jamie O'Brien & Miguel Serra & Andrew Hudson-Smith & Sophia Psarra & Anthony Hunter & Martin Zaltz-Austwick, 2016. "Ensuring VGI Credibility in Urban-Community Data Generation: A Methodological Research Design," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 1(2), pages 88-100.
    16. Petrović, Ana & Manley, David & van Ham, Maarten, 2018. "Freedom from the Tyranny of Neighbourhood: Rethinking Socio-Spatial Context Effects," IZA Discussion Papers 11416, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Anne Power & Nicola Serle & Helen Willmot, 2011. "Obstacles and Opportunities: Today’s children, tomorrow’s families," CASE Reports casereport66, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    18. Marx, Ive & Nolan, Brian & Olivera, Javier, 2014. "The Welfare State and Anti-Poverty Policy in Rich Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 8154, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Christian A.B. Nygaard, 2016. "Geology and the Emergence of Modern Neighbourhoods and Social Structures," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2016-08, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    20. Tim Cassiers & Christian Kesteloot, 2012. "Socio-spatial Inequalities and Social Cohesion in European Cities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 49(9), pages 1909-1924, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:2:p:202-:d:1335148. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.