Invest in social cohesion to exit the economic crisis, says EPC
The European Policy Centre (EPC) has released a discussion paper on social cohesion, putting it forward as a vital element for the European Union’s (EU) exit strategy from the economic and social crisis.
The paper, entitled “Fostering social cohesion: the missing link in the EU’s exit strategy from the crisis”, authored by Claire Dhéret, EPC’s Senior Policy Analyst and FutureLab Programme Leader, explores the foundations of social cohesion and finds that societies with tight social connections among its members, a focus on the common good and trust in its national institutions is more likely to resist or overcome the detrimental impact of economic crises and resulting financial reforms.
The generational divide is also explored, showing that young people have been more negatively impacted by the economic crisis than older people; child poverty increased by approximately 4.4 percent in 16 EU member states from 2007-2012 whereas the elderly Material Deprivation Rate declined by approximately 4.5 percent in 20 member states in the same period.
The paper concludes by stressing the importance of the Social Investment Package (SIP), introduced by the European Commission in 2013. As Social Platform has observed in the EU’s social priorities across the board – including the Europe 2020 strategy – the Commission’s social objectives are routinely put on hold in favour of economic policies. EPC calls on the EU to take the role of social cohesion into serious consideration and to place it at the heart of its agenda.
