Skip to main content

Definition

Social cohesion refers to the extent of connectedness and solidarity among groups in society. It identifies two main dimensions: the sense of belonging of a community and the relationships among members within the community itself. It stems from a democratic effort to establish social balance, economic dynamism, and national identity, with the goals of founding a system of equity, sustaining the impulses of uncontrolled economic growth, and avoiding social fractures.

Social cohesion is a social process which aims to consolidate plurality of citizenship by reducing inequality and socioeconomic disparities and fractures in the society. It reflects people’s needs for both personal development and a sense of belonging and links together individual freedom and social justice, economic efficiency and the fair sharing of resources, and pluralism and common rules for resolving all conflicts.

Description

There are many different definition and consequently conceptual approaches to...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 9,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Canadian Government. (1999). Final report on social cohesion. Ottawa: The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council of Europe. (2005). Methodological guide on social cohesion policy. Retrieved April 2013, from http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/socialpolicies/socialcohesi ondev/source/GUIDE_en.pdf

  • Durkheim, E. (1893). The division of labor in society (G. Simpson, Trans.). New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterly, W., Ritzen, J., & Woolcock, M. (2006). Social cohesion, institutions, and growth. Economics and Politics, 18(2), 103–120. Wiley Blackwell, 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossel, S. (1995). Changing maps: Governing in a world of rapid change. Ottawa: Carleton Univerity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritzen, J., Easterly, W., & Woolcock, M. (2000). On ‘good’ politicians and ‘bad’ policies: Social cohesion, institutions and growth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudiger, A., & Spencer, S. (2004). Meeting the challenge: Equality, diversity and cohesion in the European Union’, Paper presented to the Joint European Commission/OECD conference on the economic effects and social aspects of migration, Brussels.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, D. (2001). Holding the centre: What we know about social cohesion. Strategic Research and Analysis and the Social Cohesion Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, D. (2003). What do we know about social cohesion: The research perspective of the Federal Government’s Social Cohesion Research Network. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 28(1), 5–18.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna Rita Manca .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Cite this entry

Manca, A.R. (2014). Social Cohesion. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2739

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2739

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0752-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0753-5

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics