Social cohesion indicators in Flanders

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Hugo Hill
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1 Social cohesion indicators in Jo Noppe and Luk Bral Research Centre of the Flemish Government Structure of the presentation Three questions are addressed: 1. Is social cohesion used in the Flemish policy context? In which way? 2. How is social cohesion measured by the Research Centre of the Flemish Government? 3. How to deal with the underexposed aspects and dimensions of social cohesion? 1

2 Introduction Social cohesion is seen as a concept incorporating several dimensions and aspects:» includes related concepts as social inclusion (social participation, equal opportunities) and social capital (consisting of objective and subjective elements);» can be regarded as an individual or a societal attribute;» can be analysed on different levels. Social cohesion in the Flemish policy context We have screened the major policy documents for the following terms: social cohesion; social inclusion and related terms as:» social exclusion;» social participation and non-participation;» social equality and inequality;» equal opportunities. social capital and related terms as:» social ties;» social contact;» social engagement;» associations;» trust;» solidarity;» sense of belonging;» shared norms and values. 2

3 Pages Times Cited Cited as social inclusion or related term Cited as social capital or related term Government agreement (2004) Policy papers (2004): -Incl. equal opportunities-paper -Excl. equal opportunities-paper Pact of Vilvoorde (2001) in Action (2006) Role of the Research Centre of the Flemish Government (SVR) SVR is a government administration agency which facilitates and supports policy making SVR fulfils a coordinating role in monitoring the policy making of the Flemish Government SVR is the central actor in matching demand for and supply of public data and figures in SVR collects all relevant indicators on the regional and local level, using both administrative data and survey data 3

4 Constructing indicators An indicator has to be: 1. relevant; 2. valid; 3. reliable; 4. easy to understand; 5. stable; 6. easy to measure; 7. responsive to change; 8. accepted by all protagonists; 9. usable for benchmarking. Monitor instruments of SVR On the regional level (): 1. VRIND; 2. European Lisbon-strategy and Pact of Vilvoorde; 3. Monitor of Sustainable Development; 4. compared. On the local level: 1. Local Statistics; 2. City Monitor. All publicly available on 4

5 Social cohesion measured by social inclusion indicators (1) Aspect Indicator(s) Source Level of analysis Lowest level of aggregation Monetary poverty At-risk-of-poverty rates and income distribution Tax declared income Social transfers Soc. Burden of debt Childbirth in poor families Education Participation of disadvantaged groups in education and life long learning / Access to labour market Employment and unemployment rates of disadvantaged groups / People living in jobless households Social cohesion measured by social inclusion indicators (2) Aspect Indicator(s) Source Level of analysis Lowest level of aggregation Housing Tenure status of accommodation Burden of housing costs Quality of accommodation Social Housing Soc. Health conditions Self perceived health People with unmet needs because of financial reasons Socio-cultural participation Cultural and sports participation Digital divide Image of disadvantaged groups Attitudes towards foreigners, homosexuals, disabled people 5

6 Social cohesion measured by social capital indicators Aspect Indicator(s) Source Level of analysis Lowest level of aggregation Social contacts Satisfaction with social contacts Intensity and quality of social contacts Membership in associations Characteristics and intensity of memberships Characteristics and intensity of volunteering Social trust Trust in fellow men Trust in political and social institutions Political involvement Judgement of the functioning of democracy Political awareness and activism Shared norms and values Attitudes towards basic democratic values Conclusion No single social cohesion monitor, but both dimensions are extensively covered by SVR Focus primarily on the individual level, but how to make use of data gathered on the meso-level? No valid data for disadvantaged groups How to get representative survey data on the local or neighbourhood level? 6

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