Social Cohesion Research and Early Warning

The Department
 
Social Cohesion Development and Research  
Social Security
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Social Policy for Families and Children

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Dialogue platform on ethical and solidarity-based initiatives for combating poverty and social exclusion
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Methodological tool to develop co-responsibility for social cohesion
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Methodological Guides
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Social Cohesion Indicators
   
   
As foreseen by the Revised Strategy of Social Cohesion, the methodological work carried out by the Council of Europe resulted in the creation of social cohesion indicators, which can be put into practice on a voluntary basis in order to provide both the Council of Europe and its member states with practical means of measuring the progress of social cohesion.

These indicators were first collected in a Methodological Guide to the Concerted Development of Social Cohesion Indicators, to assess co-responsibility work at local, regional, national and European level. This Guide defines social cohesion strategic concepts and approaches and it provides with a real method to develop questions and indicators which enable the creation of a framework for action. The enclosed Cd-Rom covers the different sheets of questions and indicators suggested for each level of assessment of social cohesion and each policy, linking them to three additional types of information.

The Methodological Guide is currently implemented in the French city of Mulhouse (Alsace Region), which conducts this process at local level. This innovative implementation has enabled us not only to test the approach and ascertain its feasibility, but also to specify and clarify the methods of consultation and construction of joint indicators.

This exercise opened up the consultation between the different operators - public authorities, NGO, citizens and persons and families victim of exclusion and poverty - and pinpointed a joint vision of well-being criteria which are usually overlooked in conventional approaches.

The next phase accordingly consists in analysing how local operators can together respond to this demand. The city of Mulhouse is therefore naturally moving towards a concept of local responsibility for social cohesion, that is to say a territory in which all the players, not least citizens themselves, co-operate and are committed to meeting expectations regarding well-being and social cohesion.

Important notice:
The Online version of the CD-ROM is no more available due to technical issues. Please contact us for more details.

27.03.2007 Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe approves a recommendation on the Indicators (more...)
Resolution
Recommendation
 
Explanatory report
 
Implementation of the Methodological Guide by the French city of Mulhouse
Method
 

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PdF version of the Guide

To order the Russian version of the guide