Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Social cohesion indicators in Flanders Jo Noppe and Luk Bral Research Centre of the Flemish Government

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Structure of the presentation Three questions are addressed: 1.Is social cohesion used in the Flemish policy context? In which way? 2.How is social cohesion measured by the Research Centre of the Flemish Government? 3.How to deal with the underexposed aspects and dimensions of social cohesion?

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Introduction ‘Social cohesion’ is seen as a concept incorporating several dimensions and aspects: »includes related concepts as social inclusion (social participation, equal opportunities) and social capital (consisting of objective and subjective elements); »can be regarded as an individual or a societal attribute; »can be analysed on different levels.

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Social cohesion in the Flemish policy context We have screened the major policy documents for the following terms: social cohesion; social inclusion and related terms as: »social exclusion; »social participation and non-participation; »social equality and inequality; »equal opportunities. social capital and related terms as: »social ties; »social contact; »social engagement; »associations; »trust; »solidarity; »sense of belonging; »shared norms and values.

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel PagesTimes Cited Cited as social inclusion or related term Cited as social capital or related term Government agreement (2004) Policy papers (2004): -Incl. equal opportunities-paper -Excl. equal opportunities-paper Pact of Vilvoorde (2001)3835 Flanders in Action (2006)

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Role of the Research Centre of the Flemish Government (SVR) SVR is a government administration agency which facilitates and supports policy making SVR fulfils a coordinating role in monitoring the policy making of the Flemish Government SVR is the central actor in matching demand for and supply of public data and figures in Flanders  SVR collects all relevant indicators on the regional and local level, using both administrative data and survey data

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Constructing indicators An indicator has to be: 1.relevant; 2.valid; 3.reliable; 4.easy to understand; 5.stable; 6.easy to measure; 7.responsive to change; 8.accepted by all protagonists; 9.usable for benchmarking.

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Monitor instruments of SVR On the regional level (Flanders): 1.VRIND; 2.European Lisbon-strategy and Pact of Vilvoorde; 3.Monitor of Sustainable Development; 4.Flanders compared. On the local level: 1.Local Statistics; 2.City Monitor. All publicly available on

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel AspectIndicator(s)SourceLevel of analysis Lowest level of aggregation Monetary poverty At-risk-of-poverty rates and income distribution SurveyInd.Flanders Tax declared incomeAdm.Ind.308 municipal. Social transfersAdm.Soc.308 municipal. Burden of debtAdm.Ind.Flanders Childbirth in poor familiesAdm.Ind.308 municipal. Education Participation of disadvantaged groups in education and life long learning Survey/Adm.Ind.308 municipal. Access to labour market Employment and unemployment rates of disadvantaged groups Survey/Adm.Ind.308 municipal. People living in jobless households SurveyInd.Flanders Social cohesion measured by social inclusion indicators (1)

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel AspectIndicator(s)SourceLevel of analysis Lowest level of aggregation Housing Tenure status of accommodation SurveyInd.308 municipal. Burden of housing costsSurveyInd.13 cities Quality of accommodationSurveyInd.308 municipal. Social HousingAdm.Soc.308 municipal. Health conditions Self perceived healthSurveyInd.Flanders People with unmet needs because of financial reasons SurveyInd.Flanders Socio-cultural participation Cultural and sports participation SurveyInd.13 cities Digital divideSurveyFlanders Image of disadvantaged groups Attitudes towards foreigners, homosexuals, disabled people SurveyInd.Flanders Social cohesion measured by social inclusion indicators (2)

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel AspectIndicator(s)SourceLevel of analysis Lowest level of aggregation Social contacts Satisfaction with social contacts SurveyInd.Flanders Intensity and quality of social contacts SurveyInd.13 cities Membership in associations Characteristics and intensity of memberships SurveyInd.13 cities Characteristics and intensity of volunteering SurveyInd.Flanders Social trust Trust in fellow menSurveyInd.13 cities Trust in political and social institutions SurveyInd.13 cities Political involvement Judgement of the functioning of democracy SurveyInd.13 cities Political awareness and activism SurveyInd.13 cities Shared norms and values Attitudes towards basic democratic values SurveyInd.Flanders Social cohesion measured by social capital indicators

Vlaamse Overheid Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering Boudewijnlaan Brussel Conclusion No single social cohesion monitor, but both dimensions are extensively covered by SVR Focus primarily on the individual level, but how to make use of data gathered on the meso-level? No valid data for disadvantaged groups How to get representative survey data on the local or neighbourhood level?