Vol. 15 No. 30 (2024): Putting the Political in Its Place: Towards a Political Sociology of Sustainability
Articles

Social Sustainability in Europe. Pre- and Post-Pandemic Crisis

Simona Gozzo
Dipartimento di scienze politiche e sociali, Catania, Italy
Rosario D'Agata
Dipartment of Social and Political Science, Catania, Italy

Published 2024-12-30

Keywords

  • Social sustainability,
  • European Social Models,
  • social cohesion,
  • bayesian networks

How to Cite

Gozzo, S., & D’Agata, R. (2024). Social Sustainability in Europe. Pre- and Post-Pandemic Crisis. SocietàMutamentoPolitica, 15(30), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.36253/smp-15303

Abstract

This paper aims to clarify the meaning and related dimensions of the concept of social sustainability, with reference to the Western European context. Social sustainability refers to the capacity to ensure fairness and equality, guaranteeing collective conditions of widespread well-being over time. Its outcomes being equity, empowerment, accessibility to public services, participation, sharing, cultural identity, and institutional stability. Changes of this magnitude are expected to have a significant impact on the social cohesion of each territory but also the potential attractiveness of the area. Given these premises, the work will use different (statistical) models of Bayesian networks built on European Social Survey data, distinguishing relationships between the selected indicators and describing the associated dynamics and processes. The goal is also showing importance of the context, considering the efficiency of European Social Model (ESM). Compare the pre- and post-pandemic Bayesian models is also one of the aims, so to detect conditions and political choices that might have shown resilience when facing a challenge such is a global emergency.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

  1. Beauvais C. and Jenson J. (2002), Social cohesion: Updating the state of the research, Canadian Policy Research Network, Ottawa.
  2. Berger-Schmitt R. (2000), Social cohesion as an aspect of the quality of societies: Concept and measurement (EU Reporting working paper No. 14), Mannheim: Zentrum für Umfrage, Methoden und Analysen (ZUMA).
  3. Berger-Schmitt R. and Noll H. (2000), Conceptual framework and structure of a European system of social indicators (EU Reporting working paper No. 9), Zentrum für Umfrage, Methoden und Analysen (ZUMA).
  4. Bernard P. (1999), Social cohesion: A critique, Canadian Policy Research Networks, Ottawa.
  5. Bifulco L. (2015), Il welfare locale. Processi e prospettive, Carocci, Roma.
  6. Bonoli G. (1997), «Classifying Welfare States: A Two-Dimensional Approach», in Journal of Social Policy, 26, 3: 351-372.
  7. Boucher G. and Samad Y. (2013), «Introduction: Social cohesion and social change in Europe», in Patterns of Prejudice, 47, 3: 197-214.
  8. Cavalli A. and Martinelli A. (2015), La società europea, il Mulino, Bologna.
  9. Chan J., To H.P. and Chan E. (2006), «Reconsidering social cohesion: Developing a definition and analytical framework for empirical research», in Social Indicators Research, 75, 2: 273-302, https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11205-005-2118-1.
  10. Cheong P. H., Edwards R., Goulbourne H. and Solomos J. (2007), «Immigration, social cohesion and social capital: A critical review», in Critical Social Policy, 27, 1: 24-49, https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0261018307072206.
  11. Council of Europe (1998), Fighting social exclusion and strengthening social cohesion in Europe. (Recommendation No. 1355), Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg.
  12. Council of Europe (2005), Concerted development of social cohesion indicators (Methodological guide), Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/socialpolicies/socialcohesiondev/source/RevisedStrategy_en.pdf.
  13. Cowell R. G., Dawid P., Lauritzen S. L. and Spiegelhalter D. J. (2006), Probabilistic networks and expert systems: Exact computational methods for Bayesian networks, Springer Science & Business Media, New York.
  14. Easterly W., Ritzen J. and Woolcock M. (2006), «Social cohesion, institutions, and growth», in Economics and Politics, 18, 2: 103-120, https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1468-0343.2006.00165.x.
  15. Esping-Andersen G. (1990), The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
  16. Esping-Andersen G. (1997), «Hybrid or unique? The Japanese welfare state between Europe and America», in Journal of European Social Policy, 7, 3: 179-89.
  17. Esping-Andersen G. (1999), Social Foundations of Postindustrial Economies, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  18. European Commission (1996), First European social cohesion report, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg.
  19. European Commission (2001), The social situation in the European Union 2001, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg. http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/social_situation/docs/SSR2001_en.pdf.
  20. European Commission (2007), Growing regions, growing Europe. Fourth report on economic and social cohesion, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/cohesion4/pdf/4cr_en.pdf.
  21. European Committee for Social Cohesion (2004), A new strategy for social cohesion. Revised strategy for cohesion, Council of Europe Publishing, Luxembourg. http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/socialpolicies/socialcohesiondev/source/RevisedStrategy_en.pdf.
  22. Ferrera M. (1996a), «Il modello sud-europeo di welfare state», in Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, 26, 1: 67-101.
  23. Ferrera M. (1996b), «The “Southern model” of welfare in social Europe», in Journal of European social policy, 6, 1: 17-37
  24. Ferrera M. (2013), «Neo-welfarismo liberale: nuove prospettive per lo stato sociale in Europa», in Stato e Mercato, 97: 3-35.
  25. Friedkin N. E. (2004), «Social Cohesion», in Annual Review of Sociology, 30(1), 409-425, https://doi.org/ 10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110625.
  26. Gifi A. (1990), Nonlinear Multivariate Analysis, Wiley, New York.
  27. Gough I. and Olofsson G. (1999), Capitalism and social cohesion: Essays on exclusion and integration, Palgrave Macmillan, Londra.
  28. Green A. and Janmaat J. G. (2011), Regimes of social cohesion: Societies and the crisis of globalization, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK.
  29. Green A., Janmaat J. G. and Han C. (2009), Regimes of social cohesion, Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies. Institute of Education, London. http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/10486/1/Z.-Regimes-of-Social-Cohesion.pdf.
  30. Heckerman D. (2008), «A Tutorial on Learning with Bayesian Networks», in D.E. Holmes and L.C. Jain (eds), Innovations in Bayesian Networks. Studies in Computational Intelligence, Springer, Berlin, pp. 33-82.
  31. Home Office Community Cohesion Unit (2003), Building a picture of community cohesion. A guide for local authorities and their partners, Home Office Community Cohesion Unit, Londra. http://resources.cohesioninstitute.org.uk/Publications/Documents/Document/DownloadDocumentsFile.aspx?recordId=91&file=PDFversion
  32. Inglehart R. (1983), «The Persistence of Materialist and Post‐Materialist Value Orientations: Comments on Van Deth’s Analysis», in European Journal of Political Research, 11, 1: 81-91, https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1475-6765.1983.tb00044.x.
  33. Jackson A., Fawcett G., Milan A., Roberts P., Schetagne S., Scott K. and Tsoukalas S. (2000), Social cohesion in Canada: Possible indicators, Canadian Council on Social Development, Ottawa.
  34. Janmaat J. G. (2011), «Social cohesion as a real-life phenomenon: Assessing the explanatory power of the universalist and particularist perspectives», in Social Indicators Research, 100, 1: 61-83, https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11205-010-9604-9.
  35. Jeannotte M. S., Stanley D., Pendakur R., Jamieson B., Williams M., Aizlewood A. and Planning S. (2002), Buying in or dropping out: The public policy implications of social cohesion research, Strategic Research and Analysis (SRA), Strategic Planning and Policy Coordination, Department of Canadian Heritage, Ottawa, http://socialsciences.uottawa.ca/governance/eng/documents/buying_in_dropping_out.pdf.
  36. Jenson J. (1998), Mapping social cohesion: The state of Canadian research, Canadian Policy Research Network, Ottawa.
  37. Jenson J. (2010), Defining and measuring social cohesion, UNRISD & Commonwealth Secretariat, Londra.
  38. Jupp J., Nieuwenhuysen J. and Dawson E. (2007), Social cohesion and human rights: Would a bill of rights enhance social cohesion in Australia?, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  39. Kaivo-Oja, J., Panula-Ontto, J., Vehmas, J., and Luukkanen, J. (2014), «Relationships of the dimensions of sustainability as measured by the sustainable society index framework», in International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 21, 1: 39-45.
  40. Koller D., Friedman N. and Bach F. (2009), Probabilistic graphical models: principles and techniques, MIT Press, London.
  41. Linting M., Meulman J.J., Groenen P.J.F. and Van der Kooij A.J. (2007), «Stability of nonlinear principal components analysis: an empirical study using the balanced bootstrap», in Psychological Methods, 12: 359-379, https://doi.org/ 10.1037/1082-989X.12.3.359.
  42. Maslow A. H. (1954), «The instinctoid nature of basic needs», in Journal of Personality, 22: 326-347.
  43. McGuinn J., Fries-Tersch E., Jones M., Crepaldi C., Masso M., Kadarik I., Samek Lodovici M., Drufuca S., Gancheva M. and Geny B. E. (2020), Social Sustainability Concepts and Benchmarks, European Union, Luxembourg.
  44. Michailidis G. and De Leeuw J. (1998), «The gifi system of descriptive multivariate analysis», in Stat. Sci, 13: 307-336, https://doi.org/ 10.1214/ss/1028905828.
  45. Naldini M. (2007), Le politiche sociali in Europa. Trasformazioni dei bisogni e risposte di policy, Carocci, Roma.
  46. Põder K. and Kerem K. (2011), «‘Social Models’ in a European Comparison: Convergence or Divergence?», in Eastern European Economics, 49, 5: 55-74.
  47. Ritzen J. (2001), «Social cohesion, public policy and economic growth: Implications for OECD countries», in J. F. Helliwell (eds), The contribution of human and social capital to sustained well-being and growth. International Symposium Report, Quebec, pp. 291–309, https://oecd.org/edu/innovation-education/1825690.pdf.
  48. Sapir A. (2006), «Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models», in Journal of Common Market Studies, 44: 369-390.
  49. Sartori G. (2000), Pluralismo, multiculturalismo e estranei: saggio sulla società multietnica, Rizzoli, Milano.
  50. Schiefer D. and van der Noll J. (2017), «The Essentials of Social Cohesion: A Literature Review», in Social Indicator Research, 132: 579-603, https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11205-016-1314-5.
  51. Stanley D. (2003), «What do we know about social cohesion: The research perspective of the federal government’s social cohesion research network», in The Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers Canadiens de Sociologie, 28, 1: 5-17
  52. Toye M. (2007), Social cohesion: The Canadian urban context. Parliamentary Information and Research Service, http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/researchpublications/prb0756-e.pdf.
  53. Tullio-Altan C. (1974). I valori difficili, Bompiani, Milano.
  54. Vallance S., Perkins H.C. and Dixon J.E. (2011), «What is social sustainability? A clarification of concepts», in Geoforum, 42, 3: 342-348, https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.geoforum.2011.01.002.