Policies and practices for inclusion of disadvantaged groups

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General introduction to approach

The approaches in this cluster address existing patterns of exclusion and inequalities which limits well-being and economics possibilities of certain groups. It aims at developing policies and/or practices to foster the inclusion of disadvantaged groups such as youth, elderly, migrants and diverse families (e.g. same-sex couples or single mothers).

Shapes, sizes and applications

Jobs and professional training/counselling (for vulnerable groups) (CITYSPYCE): The European financial crisis and the following austerity measures led to high levels of unemployment. The group that suffer the most for unemployment has undoubtedly been the youth. Governments have developed policies to reduce unemployment by moving young people into low skilled, temporary and poorly paid jobs. On the contrary, this approach promotes moving away from measuring “employment” success from the quantity of people getting a job to the quality and pay of the job. Policies to promote youth employment should be integrated with education and professional training which promote the shift from “quantity” to “quality”.

Youth Policy as autonomous field (SOCIETY): The young people suffer from lack of capital and resources which reproduce exclusion of this group. Youth policy as autonomous field means involving different stakeholders in the process of policy-making, particular attention should be given to including the youth so to make their experiences, ideas, aspirations and voices heard in these processes.

Migrant inclusion through employment (Migrants and Minorities in European Cities): Migrants and other ethnical minorities are amongst the most vulnerable groups which suffer social exclusion. In particular, in today’s society social exclusion is strictly connected to employment. Therefore, policies interventions to provide more job opportunities to migrants becomes an approach to enhance their integration into society.

Equity oriented structural policies (social/economic policies) to reduce health inequities (SOPHIE): Research has shown that health inequities can be caused by socioeconomic, gender and immigration factors. Social protection, in particular, has shown to have a positive impact on people’s health. In the urban setting, both inclusive urban planning and housing policies can positively influence physical and mental health. Therefore, the development of policies aimed at reducing inequalities and exclusions in society can directly reduce health inequities and improve a population’s overall health.

Inclusive citizenship (GRAGE): Elderly represent a fast growing part of the population. Therefore, if urban planning and policies will fail to adapt to these changes, elderly as a societal group will be excluded. Inclusive citizenship means ensuring the elderly their right to the city: developing infrastructures and services which allow them to live in the city as well as including them in the governance of the urban spaces.

Evidence-based policy for societal development of families (FAMILIESANDSOCIETY): This approach consists in developing policies which recognize the diversity of families. For instance, children of less educated mothers and from disadvantaged backgrounds have proven to benefit more from childcare services than from home-based care. Starting from this evidence, policies should be developed to offer free childcare to children of mothers from disadvantaged backgrounds. Policies based on the needs of the majority of families will not necessarily benefit everyone, but it might even reproduce exclusions of minorities.

Transport for elderly people (GOAL): Transports for elderly should not be developed considering elderly as a homogenous societal group. The project GOAL identified at least five elderly categories. Consequently, mobility options should satisfy all these categories. In particular, walking, cycling and public transportation have been identified as most beneficial transports for elderly considering various factors such as safety and health.

Sustainable and solidarity economy (SUSY): There are thousands of local projects in Europe which are based on a model of sustainable and solidarity economy which is defined as follows "The social and solidarity economy is a movement that aims to change the current social and economic system. Solidarity economic principles serve as the new basis – principles based on solidary exchange that connects individual needs with those of the community." (Reference). Although these projects are often implemented by citizens without direct support from established institutions, they provide effective channels to bring people together and reduce inequalities.

Re-start program (REFUGEE COMPANY): The Refugee Company (The Netherlands) represents one initiative funded from partners of different backgrounds (companies, foundations, municipalities) which aims at providing concrete solutions to help refugees to successfully integrate into society. The re-start programme consists in proving free language courses and support in finding a suitable job with the final aim of offering economic independency to refugees.

Cities integrated solutions via networking (URBACT): Networks of cities and town represents one way for policy-makers to be informed and learned about good practices and successful cases which have contributed to the reduction of exclusion and inequalities.

Relation to UrbanA themes: Cities, sustainability, and justice

The approaches share the same understanding that cities are where inequalities are most visible. However, the approaches call for the development of policies which are not limited to citizens living in urban areas, but it expands to semi-rural and rural areas too. The approaches aim at the development of inclusive policies which tackle both causes and symptoms of inequalities and strive for social justice. Environmental sustainability, on the other hand, is not the focus of this cluster. Yet, some socio-economic policies go hand in hand with sustainability. The approach “transports for elderly people”, for instance, advocates for more cycling, biking and public transportation, which consume drastically less Co2 than private cars. Similarly, “equity oriented structural policies (social/economic policies) to reduce health inequities” offer an alternative method of urban planning, with more green spaces and reduction of traffic. This shows that policies which aim at fostering inclusion of disadvantaged groups can largely improve cities’ sustainability performances.

Narrative of change

The root cause that this cluster addresses is inequality. Disadvantaged groups are heterogeneous and heterogeneous are also the reasons why these groups are categorized as disadvantaged. Disadvantaged groups might suffer from inequality, such as income, education, job opportunities, health benefits, and access to transportation, etc. The underlying premise of the cluster is that specific policies development can address both the causes and symptoms of inequalities leading to increased levels of inclusion. In addition, knowledge sharing and networking (e.g. see projects such as SUSY; URBANACT) can help policy developers, civil society and citizens to be inspired by successful cases. Finally, civil society projects such as voluntary work for migrant integration bypass formal policy development and aim at creating spaces (e.g. free language course) which reduce inequalities.

Summary of relevant approaches

Migrant inclusion is an approach