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Governmental Promotion of Social Cohesion and Its Effect on Local Civil Society Organisations: How These Institutions Respond to the Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups as Active Citizens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2014

Stella Maris Semino
Stella Maris Semino*
Affiliation:
Institut for Samfund og Globalisering, Roskilde Universitet E-mail: semino@ruc.dk
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Abstract

This article examines how social policy influences social cohesion within a London borough. The focus is on the degree to which civil society organisations facilitate the representation of migrants within the public sphere. The policies considered are those introduced by New Labour and the current Coalition government. The theories adopted in this article are based on social cohesion and the public sphere, and the research is based on grey literature and interviews with civil society practitioners. The study concludes that, although the previous government gave visibility to migrants, the conditions imposed for their access to social provision have contributed to the demotion of cohesion. The Coalition's reforms have reinforced social divisions and given rise to two identities within civil society: the insiders, who are in dialogue with the authorities, and the outsiders, who have no contact with the decision makers.

Keywords

Active citizenshipsocial cohesionmigrantscivil societyausterityvolunteering
Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , April 2015 , pp. 189 - 201
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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