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According to statistics, there are approximately 1, 5 million Roma people living in Romania. One of the main problems they face is limited access on the labor market which is, among other factors, a determinant of social exclusion. Studies carried out by The Research Institute for Quality of Life (Arpinte, Băboi, Tomescu &Stănescu,2008) show that the unemployment rate among Roma people living in Romania is three times higher than the unemployment rate among non-Roma population. Analysis of rural labor market integration regarding Roma has proven that most Roma households are described as poor and socially excluded from the labor market (Gherghinescu, 2008). The focus of the article is on Law number 416 from 2001 concerning the Minimum Income Guarantee and using the Capability Approach we explore whether the employment activation measures accompanying the Minimum Income Guarantee Law are identified as social conversion factors by Rural Roma beneficiaries. After discussing the demographic profile of the beneficiaries, we use focus groups in an exploratory study which leads us to the conclusion that these activation measures fail to reach the targeted group.
Keywords: rural Roma, Capability Approach, employment activation measures, Minimum Income Guarantee
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