We interpret the increased polarization in Western societies over global economic issues as an interaction of economic forces and shifts in a society's social identity equilibrium. We combine social identity theory with standard small open economy model of international trade to study the effect...

This paper examines the erosion of trust as a global phenomenon, highlighting its implications for social cohesion and governance. Using data from the World Values Survey and regional barometers, the analysis focuses on trust's dual dimensions-interpersonal and institutional-within different...

The Colombian government’s response to the Venezuelan displacement crisis has largely been lauded for its efforts to support displaced persons by granting legal residency. However, this comes with challenges, as resources at the local level are strained. These challenges can be understood...

Climate change poses an existential threat to individuals and communities across the world. Populations with existing socio-economic vulnerabilities are the most affected, with people already experiencing climate-related losses and damages. Extreme weather events and other adverse impacts of...

In recent years, Morocco has shifted from being primarily a country of transit and emigration to becoming a country of settlement. This evolution is largely driven by increased border restrictions and pushbacks, which have made migration routes to the EU less accessible. As a result, the city of...

We are currently witnessing complex interactions between climate change, development and security challenges, and social relations in many contexts globally. Programming focusing on these issues, especially with a focus on social cohesion, is rapidly expanding. However, data on the linkages...

“Social cohesion” and the “social contract” are two related analytical concepts, which have become increasingly popular among researchers and practitioners. Both concepts help to understand and characterise societies and countries by shedding light on the relationships between members...

This Data Note is a brief explanation of a dataset compiled for a study on the relationship between social cohesion and Covid-19. The innovative variable in this cross-country dataset is social cohesion, which appears as a consolidated index and as two sub-indices on, respectively, the...

Do earthquakes strengthen social cohesion or undermine it? While some theories suggest they strengthen social bonds, others suggest they lead to social disintegration. We add to the limited causal evidence on this phenomenon using the 2012 Northern Italy earthquake, and exploit a unique dataset...

Bilateral and multilateral donors are increasingly focusing on strengthening social cohesion in efforts to build and sustain peace in conflict-affected societies. What does promoting social cohesion mean with respect to inter­national engagement? This policy brief provides an overview of the...

We investigate the impact of childhood exposure to organized criminal violence on sociopolitical attitudes in Mexico, where an entire generation of youths has been raised amid the country's most violent conflict over the past century. We fielded an in-person survey to nearly 3,000 urban youths,...

This paper explores the effects of globalisation on social cohesion outcomes and the underlying mechanisms. A framework for reviewing the literature is offered, in which labour earnings, household expenditures and firm productivity are identified as the main channels through which economic...

Africa is currently undergoing the most rapid urbanisation process globally, and this trend is forecast to persist in the coming decades. Many believe that this ongoing rapid urbanisation process is changing the social fabric and reshaping social cohesion. This study explores the theoretical...

The Colombian government's response to the Venezuelan displacement crisis has largely been lauded for its efforts to support displaced persons by granting legal residency. However, this comes with challenges, as resources at the local level are strained. These challenges can be understood...

Climate change poses an existential threat to individuals and communities across the world. Populations with existing socio-economic vulnerabilities are the most affected, with people already experiencing climate-related losses and damages. Extreme weather events and other adverse impacts of...

This paper examines the erosion of trust as a global phenomenon, highlighting its implications for social cohesion and governance. Using data from the World Values Survey and regional barometers, the analysis focuses on trust's dual dimensions-interpersonal and institutional-within different...

In recent years, Morocco has shifted from being primarily a country of transit and emigration to becoming a country of settlement. This evolution is largely driven by increased border restrictions and pushbacks, which have made migration routes to the EU less accessible. As a result, the city of...

Against the backdrop of political polarization and societal fragmentation, liberal democracy, more than ever, rests on social cohesion. Civil-society organizations (CSOs) are pivotal in fostering this cohesion by building social capital and serving as catalysts of social change. However, civil...

The Venezuelan displacement crisis has become a defining moment in South-South migration dynamics across Latin America. Since 2015, severe food shortages, medicine scarcity, soaring inflation and widespread human rights violations have driven a massive exodus from Venezuela. By June 2024, the...

The Venezuelan displacement crisis has become a defining moment in South-South migration dynamics across Latin America. Since 2015, severe food shortages, medicine scarcity, soaring inflation and widespread human rights violations have driven a massive exodus from Venezuela. By June 2024, the...

Dans le Sahel, la vulnérabilité, la pauvreté, la concurrence pour les ressources naturelles et les opportunités économiques limitées ont affaibli les liens sociaux et alimenté les conflits, des dynamiques aggravées par le changement climatique. Dans ce contexte, la protection sociale...

Social cohesion is crucial to increasing societies’ resilience to shocks and to enabling sustainable futures. Amidst growing tensions and polarization in all world regions, social cohesion ranks high on the agendas of researchers, decision-makers and international organizations. Despite the...

1. Individualization, globalization and solidarity 2. Taking care of each other 3. Altruism or self-interest? 4. Falling apart? 5. Independent yet solidary 6. A borderless world? 7. Threats and opportunities 8. Globalization versus localization 9. Myths and facts 10. Between community care and...

The experience of rapid economic growth and transition to high-income status in Asian countries has brought about significant improvements in material well-being and aggregate economic prosperity. This article examines the degree to which economic prosperity is the “great enabler” of social...

Urban areas serve as economic growth hubs, but their expansion threatens food production and security. This study employs bibliometric and thematic analysis to examine the relationship between urban agriculture and sustainability. The study examines the latest trends, research gaps in...

The experience of rapid economic growth and transition to high-income status in Asian countries has brought about significant improvements in material well-being and aggregate economic prosperity. This article examines the degree to which economic prosperity is the "great enabler" of social and...

This empirical analysis investigates whether and to what extent social cohesion and the coverage of social protection schemes influence governments' decisions about the stringency of COVID-19 containment policies during the first and second waves in 2020 in Africa. Our results indicate that...

Social cohesion has recently gained increasing attention in academic and policy circles. Apart from being a necessary feature of stable societies per se, social cohesion is also a key factor for sustainable economic development. One potential means through which social cohesion could foster...

Equal access to reliable information is essential for democracy and social cohesion. The rise of information pollution, particularly in digital spaces, poses significant challenges to democratic societies worldwide. While extensive research has focused on its impact in developed,...

Social cohesion' and the 'social contract' are two related analytical concepts, which have become increasingly popular among researchers and practitioners. Both concepts help to understand and characterise societies and countries by shedding light on the relationships between members and groups...

We are currently witnessing complex interactions between climate change, development and security challenges, and social relations in many contexts globally. Programming focusing on these issues, especially with a focus on social cohesion, is rapidly expanding. However, data on the linkages...

When studying policy-relevant topics, researchers' policy preferences may shape the design, execution, analysis, and interpretation of results. Detection of such bias is challenging because the research process itself is not normally part of a controlled experimental setting. Our analysis...

This Data Note is a brief explanation of a dataset compiled for a study on the relationship between social cohesion and Covid-19. The innovative variable in this cross-country dataset is social cohesion, which appears as a consolidated index and as two sub-indices on, respectively, the...

This article reviews the recent burgeoning political economics research on nation-building. We focus on three main aspects of this body of work. First, we discuss methodological issues related to measuring nation-building outcomes and provide a synthesis of studies that employ different...

Although the Northern Nigerian state of Kaduna has the second highest incidence of violent conflicts among Nigeria’s 36 states, the population generally reports a low level of expected victimization. A large-N survey conducted in the state in 2021 showed that 65% of the population believe they...

In times of intense economic variability and social turbulence worldwide, this paper aims to examine the existence of transient correlations and interdependencies between the most important MSCI ESG indices worldwide and the most important commodities' index, economic uncertainty, natural gas,...