Fighting a losing battle? Neighbourhood-based social mobility in times of retrenching social interventions

Fighting a losing battle? Neighbourhood-based social mobility in times of retrenching social interventions

Kleinhans, R.J.
Veldboer, A.P.M.

OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

OTB Research

2012-06-24

Social mobility is a key concept in neighbourhood-based policies in Europe and the US. The Dutch neighbourhood approach often implies physical restructuring combined with a range of economic and social mobility strategies such as counselling, citizenship courses, debt relief, work training / placement programs and language courses. However, the financial crisis has caused substantial cutbacks in government funding. This adds to the general retrenchment of the welfare state. A broader issue is how these larger developments precipitate in local contexts and to what extent they will harm local social interventions to support upward steps in education, employment and housing. Which elements (if any) of local interventions should be maintained in order to prevent crumbling of positive results of regeneration efforts to date? We will address these issues by a longitudinal panel study of residents in Hoogvliet, a borough of Rotterdam. After the 2007 baseline measurement, the follow-up study is currently conducted. The main objective of this study is to assess social mobility patterns and outcomes of various social and physical interventions with regard to social mobility of Hoogvliet residents, especially individuals receiving long-lasting support or counselling, which is now reduced or completely stopped. As this research project is only in its very early stages, the paper will do several things. First, we provide a literature review which focuses on larger societal trends which affect social mobility strategies, such as the ‘Big Society’ concept. Secondly, we briefly describe the results of the baseline measurement of 2007 and the design of the follow-up study. Then, the research design of the follow-up study is described. The paper concludes with preliminary conclusions.

urban renewal
social mobility
welfare state
interventions
Big Society
The Netherlands

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4f1e95c1-7b6a-4f6a-a9b6-869034cc9236

ENHR 2012 Conference “Housing: Local Welfare and Local Markets in a Globalised World”, Lillehammer, Norway, 24–27 June 2012

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conference paper

(c) 2012 The Author(s)