Promoting social cohesion and convergence
23 Şubat 2021

Promoting social cohesion and convergence is one of the six main activities in Eurofound’s work programme for the 2021–2024 period.Read more
Promoting social cohesion and convergence is one of the six main activities in Eurofound’s work programme for the 2021–2024 period. Eurofound will continue to operate as a centre of expertise for monitoring and analysing the key trends and determinants of achieving upward convergence in living and working conditions and strengthening economic and social cohesion in the EU. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to the economic and social resilience of the EU, highlighting the fragility of any progress in convergence patterns already achieved.
Over the next four years, Eurofound will provide an important insight into the challenges and prospects in the area of social cohesion and convergence in the EU, helping to ensure its economies and societies are resilient to future shocks. Eurofound will expand on its work from previous years on the upward convergence theme, with particular emphasis on the potential rise of new inequalities among citizens and how to address the increased challenges to social cohesion brought about by the crisis. The Agency will report regularly on trends in upward convergence in the socioeconomic dimension, as well as in the dimensions outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights at Member State and regional levels, while also comparing the EU with other developed countries.
In exploring the drivers and implications of economic and social convergence, Eurofound will pay attention to a range of factors: social investment, mobility and institutional frameworks, regulation, welfare systems, institutional quality and public services, social dialogue and structural reforms. The research will examine the effectiveness of the EU’s response to the pandemic for economic and social convergence. It will also consider the situation in the euro area, as well as focusing on the role of industrial relations processes in influencing convergence.
Eurofound will investigate the trends and drivers of social cohesion in the European Union, in particular examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated existing inequalities or triggered new ones affecting society more broadly or specific groups of citizens. The analysis will focus on economic, social and health disparities, both in the labour market and in terms of access to and quality of crucial goods and services such as healthcare, housing, education and social protection. The link between inequalities, institutional trust and discontent will be studied. Other areas of interest include migration, integration and societal tensions.
The research results emerging from this activity will contribute to the work of the different services of the European Commission and the Employment Committee (EMCO), the Social Protection Committee (SPC), the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), the Council and the European Parliament, including in relation to the European Semester.
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Upward convergence in material well-being: Is a COVID-19 setback inevitable?
Better together: Robust upward convergence in employment and socioeconomic conditions strengthens the future of Europe
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Addressing stakeholder priorities
TopEurofound’s research aims to assist policy action to support sustainable upward economic and social convergence, to reduce multidimensional inequalities and to develop initiatives to strengthen social cohesion, helping to address the challenges facing the EU and national levels brought about byRead more
Eurofound’s research aims to assist policy action to support sustainable upward economic and social convergence, to reduce multidimensional inequalities and to develop initiatives to strengthen social cohesion, helping to address the challenges facing the EU and national levels brought about by COVID-19. By investigating the pandemic recovery programmes at European level and their effect on economic and social convergence, Eurofound aims to inform policymakers on ways to promote convergence and the effectiveness of various initiatives. Research on social cohesion is intended to advance the debate on ways to promote policies towards a fairer and more inclusive society.
The Agency’s work programme is aligned with the European Commission’s political guidelines over the next four years, directly feeding into a number of key policy areas aimed at creating a strong social Europe. In particular, the research links in with the EU objective of sustainable economic and social convergence and will seek to support the debate on the European Pillar of Social Rights, its implementation and monitoring role, as well as on the reform of Economic and Monetary Union. Findings on trust can contribute to the initiatives regarding the Future of Europe debate.
- European Commission: Priorities 2019–2024: An economy that works for people
- European Commission: Priorities 2019–2024: Promoting our European way of life
- European Commission: Priorities 2019–2024: A new push for European democracy
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Key policy messages
TopThe main findings emerging from Eurofound research serve as input for policymakers to address some of the key issues in this area.
Read moreThe main findings emerging from Eurofound research serve as input for policymakers to address some of the key issues in this area.
- Sustainable economic and social convergence is central to Europe’s lasting stability and requires an integrated European approach.
- Diverging economic and social performance among Member States puts shared prosperity and decent living and working conditions at risk and therefore monitoring convergence trends in the EU and implementing policies to avoid divergence is essential.
- Before COVID-19, Europe had experienced six years of uninterrupted economic growth, absorbing the fallout of the 2008 crisis and recording upward convergence in areas like employment and risk of poverty. But not all Member States benefited equally and regional disparities grew.
- The COVID-19 pandemic risks further widening the inequalities between Member States and across socioeconomic groups. It will test the economic and social resilience of Member States against the risk of economic and social divergence in the European Union. These growing disparities can also impact on the stability of the EU and underline the need to implement fully the European Pillar of Social Rights and to communicate these measures clearly to EU citizens.
- Maintaining citizens’ trust in national and European institutions must remain a key focus in times of crisis, as compliance with measures to control COVID-19 greatly depends on levels of trust in institutions and scientific advice. The increase in levels of institutional trust reported by respondents who benefited from support measures also sends a clear message to national governments and the EU.
Current and ongoing research
TopIn 2021, Eurofound will continue to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic and social convergence as well as on economic and social inequalities in Europe, with a focus on income, employment, education and health.Read more
In 2021, Eurofound will continue to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic and social convergence as well as on economic and social inequalities in Europe, with a focus on income, employment, education and health. It will provide regular updates on upward convergence at European and regional levels in the dimensions outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights and its accompanying Social Scoreboard.
Paying particular attention to the geographical divide and the impact of COVID-19, Eurofound research will explore drivers for both upward convergence and social cohesion. The effect of recovery programmes and the policies to strengthen resilience, promote sustainable upward convergence and support the reduction of inequalities will be reviewed.
Eurofound will also investigate how social cohesion in Europe evolved over time. Furthermore, using data from the Living, working and COVID-19 online survey, the impact of the pandemic on social cohesion and trust will be investigated for various groups in society and the results compared at Member State level to highlight similarities and differences.
Finally, the activity will explore if and how industrial relations processes, in particular collective bargaining, influence the convergence of some outcomes such as wages and working time.
The convergence web repository will continue to be updated and further developed.
The sections below provide access to a range of publications, data and ongoing work on this topic.
Read less- Publications tab (36)
- Data tab
- Ongoing work tab (6)
Publications tab
Eurofound publications come in a variety of formats, including reports, policy briefs, blogs, articles and presentations.
Register for online event: 15th conference on Social Monitoring and Reporting in Europe
Olay 9 Mart 2021Upward convergence in material well-being: Is a COVID-19 setback inevitable?
Publication 8 Aralık 2020A more equal Europe? Convergence and the European Pillar of Social Rights
Publication 10 Aralık 2019Data tab
Data related to this topic are linked below.
Ongoing work tab
Research continues in this topic on a variety of themes, which are outlined below with links to forthcoming titles.
Challenges and prospects in the EU - Looking backward to move forward: Converging through crises
Publication Aralık 2021Receive updates
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