Defining Social Cohesion

Justine Burns, George Hull, Kate Lefko-Everett and Lindokuhle Njozela

Working Paper from Agence française de développement

Abstract: Promoting social cohesion is one of the most difficult, yet one of the most important, challenges facing South Africa. However, while there is a widespread agreement that social cohesion influences economic and social development, and that nurturing a more cohesive society is an important policy goal in itself, little progress has been made in trying to measure it and track progress in this domain over time. One of the most severe limitations to this progress is the lack of definitional consensus on social cohesion. It may seem intuitive to describe it as the glue that binds us together, or the forging of a common sense of identity and belonging. To others, it may speak to a willingness to extend trust to outsiders, to respect fellow citizens and uphold their dignity, and to be moved to action in the face of persistent inequality on behalf of those who are marginalised. Alternatively, specifically in the South African context, its very essence may be seen as common humanity embodied in the notion of ubuntu.

Keywords: Afrique; du; Sud (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 24
Date: 2018-07-10
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Research Papers

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:avg:wpaper:en8750

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