Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Abstract
This study quantifies the achievement gap between Roma and non-Roma students in East Central
Europe and assesses the potential causes of the gap. Using the UNDP survey of 2011, the only
comparable data on the Roma spanning many countries, we show that the gap in the chances to
get secondary education is substantial in all countries. When comparing young adults living with
parents of comparable income and educational attainment, the gap drops by more than a half in
most countries. Using unique data from Hungary, we assess the gap in standardized test scores and
show that it is comparable to the size of the Black-White test score gap in the U.S.A. in the 1980’s.
The test score gap in Hungary is almost entirely explained by social differences in income, wealth
and parental education, and ethnic factors do not play a significant role. We identify two major
mechanisms by which the social disadvantages of Roma students lead to lower skills. Their home
environment is less favorable for their cognitive development, and their schools are characterized
by a lower quality educational environment. Ethnic differences in the home environment are,
again, explained by social differences, and ethnicity seems to play no additional role. On the other
hand, while access to higher quality schools is strongly related to social differences, Roma students
seem to face additional disadvantages. The results suggest that besides policies that aim at
alleviating poverty, well-designed interventions influencing the mechanisms can also improve the
skill development of Roma and other disadvantaged children