Sociologia dei conflitti locali contro i rom e i sinti in Italia: pluralità di contesti e varietà di Policy instruments

Traditionally, in Italy Roma and Sinti have always been a local issue. Also in the last years, the international contention between EU and Italy on discriminatory ethnic policies mostly started from choices taken at the local level. In urban politics the major stake is around electoral consensus and political support. The article develops the idea that the kind of way of searching consensus influences the choice of policy instruments and aims. Looking at the cases of Milan and Rome, we highlight a kind of demagogical approach to consensus building, and its consequences for Roma and Sinti groups and, broadly, for social cohesion. Then, looking at ten middle size Italian cities, we find tracks of some more incremental consensus building processes. Specially, we will underline the relevance of (1) three different types of mediation and of (2) engaging Roma beneficiaries in the planning of policy instruments regulating their life. The article concludes on the strategic relevance of pluralizing the variety of policy instruments, not using for Roma only one kind of specific ethnic targeted policy tools.