A commonly expressed concern about immigration is that it undermines social cohesion in the receiving country. In this paper, we study the impact of a large and sudden inflow of asylum seekers on several indicators of social cohesion. In 2015/16, over one million asylum seekers from Syria,...

A commonly expressed concern about immigration is that it undermines social cohesion in the receiving country. In this paper, we study the impact of a large and sudden inflow of asylum seekers on several indicators of social cohesion. In 2015/16, over one million asylum seekers from Syria,...

A commonly expressed concern about immigration is that it undermines social cohesion in the receiving country. In this paper, we study the impact of a large and sudden inflow of asylum seekers on several indicators of social cohesion. In 2015/16, over one million asylum seekers from Syria,...

A commonly expressed concern about immigration is that it undermines social cohesion in the receiving country. In this paper, we study the impact of a large and sudden inflow of asylum seekers on several indicators of social cohesion. In 2015/16, over one million asylum seekers from Syria,...

Can local elections introduced in a post-conflict context help to foster societal peace, or do they create new potential for conflict? The value of post-conflict elections has been the matter of controversial academic debates. However, this literature largely neglects to take into account the...

This paper explores the impact of refugee return on social cohesion using data from Burundi, a country that experienced high levels of repatriation during the 2000s. It uses a nationwide survey conducted in 2015 and relies on geographic features of the communities for identification purposes....

Can local elections introduced in a post-conflict context help to foster societal peace, or do they create new potential for conflict? The value of post-conflict elections has been the matter of controversial academic debates. However, this literature largely neglects to take into account the...

Inequality is bad per se and has adverse effects, among other things, on economic development and the environment. It is also often argued that high and increasing inequalities put societies under stress, which increases the likelihood of social conflicts. However, the literature on this topic...

The primary objective of social protection is to fight poverty and food insecurity. However, there are good theoretical arguments to support the idea that it can also contribute to more complex outcomes, such as social cohesion. This paper investigates the effects of the Tingathe Economic...

How does armed conflict affect social cohesion, that is, the social fabric of societies? This question is central if we want to understand better why some countries experience repeated cycles of violence. It is also a crucial question for the design of peacebuilding interventions. In recent...

This study analyses how strengths and weaknesses of economic, societal, political and environmental structures played out during the Covid-19 crisis in Africa since March 2020. Its main aim is to improve evidence on the direct and indirect effects of the pandemic on African countries and, based...

A plethora of work has been done on the effectiveness of foreign aid. However, virtually none of the previous studies has investigated the impact of aid on social cohesion. Yet, in order to promote the achievement of the targets in SDG 16, donors and global partners of developing countries have...

Turkey has experienced a large influx of Syrian refugees since the start of Syrian civil war. Integration and social cohesion are thus important questions and priorities of public policy in Turkey. We study social cohesion among young Turkish nationals and Syrian refugees. Our study sample...

Evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that interventions relying on community involvement through a participatory learning and action (PLA) approach can improve health outcomes in resource-poor settings. However, whether PLA-based interventions remain effective after scale-up is...

More than one million refugees migrated to Germany in 2015-2016. The increase in refugees was rapid, visible and controversial, and varied substantially across German districts. Therefore, the increase provides unique leverage for analyzing the consequences of immigration and ethnolinguistic...

This paper examines empirically whether social protection in the form of adapted social assistance programmes are affecting social cohesion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using unique primary data from nationally representative, in-person surveys from Kenya allows for the exploration of the...

Turkey has experienced a large influx of Syrian refugees since the start of Syrian civil war. Integration and social cohesion are thus important questions and priorities of public policy in Turkey. We study social cohesion among young Turkish nationals and Syrian refugees. Our study sample...

Evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that interventions relying on community involvement through a participatory learning and action (PLA) approach can improve health outcomes in resource-poor settings. However, whether PLA-based interventions remain effective after scale-up is...

Shared values are deemed necessary as a solid foundation for social cohesion by commentators and observers in many countries. However, when examining what kind of values this is based on, answers often come down to platitudes and national clichés. This discussion paper offers some clarification...

We evaluate the impact of an educational program that aims to build social cohesion in ethnically mixed schools by developing perspective-taking ability in children. The program is implemented in a high-stakes context where the ethnic composition in schools has changed due to a massive influx of...

Social cohesion is an important precondition for peaceful and economically successful societies. The question of how societies hold together and which policies enhance social cohesion has become a relevant topic on both national and international agendas. This Briefing Paper stresses the...

Soziale Kohäsion ist eine Voraussetzung für friedliche und wirtschaftlich erfolgreiche Gesellschaften. Die Frage, was Gesellschaften zusammenhält und welche Politik soziale Kohäsion stärkt, wird auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene immer prominenter diskutiert. In diesem Briefing Papier...

Shared values are deemed necessary as a solid foundation for social cohesion by commentators and observers in many countries. However, when examining what kind of values this is based on, answers often come down to platitudes and national clichés. This discussion paper offers some clarification...

Faced with unprecedented challenges, linked to inequalities, exclusion, access to resources and services, the social and solidarity economy (SSE) combines productive activities, ecological, civic and social objectives. Indeed, the cooperative, which relaunched the SSE, is a vector of democratic...

"Even after achieving the status of a developed economy, many economies face other challenges which may include economic stagnation and income inequality. The book looks at how a mature economy can continue to weather challenges and how the growth of living standards will depend on productivity...

The Western Balkans region has come a long way over the last two decades in achieving economic and social progress. Its people are the region’s greatest asset. Yet faced with a lack of opportunities many, particularly the young, decide to emigrate. To make the most of its future the region...

This paper explores the impact of refugee return on social cohesion using data from Burundi, a country that experienced high levels of repatriation during the 2000s. It uses a nationwide survey conducted in 2015 and relies on geographic features of the communities for identification purposes....

This paper argues that the traditional societal contract that underlies the market economy has run its course and needs to be replaced by a new contract, based on a new conception of the "empowering economy." Whereas different societal contracts are relevant to different societies, there must be...

Women’s empowerment has been identified as a prerequisite for poverty reduction. In addition to driving overall economic growth, women’s empowerment has been found to have beneficial effects on fertility rates, child health and education outcomes, as well as community development. This...