Community Cohesion

A new form of migration is evident, with many economic migrants not planning to stay long term, and this presents challenges for integration and cohesion. Many migrants make significant contributions to local communities, for instance working in our public services such as the NHS. The arrival of new migrants need not have a detrimental effect on cohesion, although it can have a negative effect on community cohesion, particularly in areas that are experiencing a rapid pace of change and/or deprivation. There is significant public anxiety about migration, some of which arises from practical concerns about its effect on local communities. Such concerns include: the limited English of new arrivals; the problems associated with Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) lived in by migrants; a perceived increase in anti-social behaviour; and pressures on public services. Recent migration has placed pressures on local public services in areas that have experienced rapid inward migration, including pressures on schools, translation services, social care, English language teaching, policing and the NHS. These pressures are currently left unfunded by Government, because resource allocations are being made on the basis of flawed population data, and this shortfall should be addressed immediately. The Committee calls for concerted action by Government, local authorities and community groups to address the concerns and problem areas and to encourage integration and involvement. The Government has to ensure that English language tuition is accessible to migrants, as demand far outstrips supply at present.

This book examines how new dimensions of diversity and difference, so often debated in the national context, are emerging at the neighbourhood level.

What is meant by community? Is there a balance between equality, integration and diversity? Does the idea of identity undermine community cohesion? Identity, Ethnic Diversity and Community Cohesion considers these questions and explores the concept of identity and how its different meanings and interpretations impact upon community policy. The book brings together the ideas and perspectives of leading academics, policymakers, think-tank representatives, and community workers, offering a cutting-edge and interprofessional approach to the key debates. Other key features include: - strong links between theory, practice and policy - up-to-date analysis of contemporary policy issues - author commentaries, ′reflections′ on key themes, and case studies that illustrate the relevance of research to ′real life′ - a leading group of editors and authors - the ESRC Identities Programme and the Runnymede Trust represent a wealth of research and policymaking experience. This original and innovative book makes a distinctive contribution to debates about identity, ethnicity and community cohesion. It is of interest to those studying social policy, community studies, politics and sociology as well as being relevant for policymakers, researchers and those working in the public sector. Margaret Wetherell is Professor of Social Psychology at the Open University and Director of the ESRC Identities and Social Action Programme. Michelynn Laflèche, Director of the Runnymede Trust, has headed the Trust′s work programme and strategic policy direction since 2001. Robert Berkeley, a sociologist with a PhD from Trinity College, Oxford, is Deputy Director of the Runnymede Trust.

‘Giving’ time and money to the community indicates the existence of relationships that draw people together, and ‘who people give to’ indicates how inclusive these relational networks are. Using UK data for the analysis, Zischka argues that a person’s willingness to ‘give' is not only influenced by social cohesion; it also helps to generate social cohesion. For thriving communities, we therefore need to consider our ‘giving’ as well as our ‘getting’.

In this timely study, the author examines the historical approach to race and diversity and suggests that equality strategies have been a vital, but limited, means of addressing discrimination and community tensions. Community Cohesion, it argues, offers a new framework to break down the barriers between different communities and understand the more fundamental causes of racism and the 'fear of difference'. Concepts of multiculturalism, identity and citizenship are also reviewed and the developing practice of community cohesion is described.

This book discusses the meaning and practice of British community cohesion policies, youth identities in racially-tense areas and the British government's attempts to 'prevent violent extremism' amongst young Muslims.

National governments and multi-national institutions are spending unprecedented amounts of money on ICT on improving the overall quality of school learning, and schools are increasingly expected to prepare young people for a global economy in which inter-cultural understanding will be a priority. This book explores and analyzes the ways ICT has been used to promote citizenship and community cohesion in projects that link together schools in different parts of the world. It examines the theoretical framework behind such work and shows the impact of initiatives in the Middle East, Canada, the USA, England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere in the European Union. This is a critical examination of the technologies that have been deployed, the professional development that has been provided and an evaluation of what constitutes good practice, particularly in terms of what collaborative learning really means for young people. Many of these initiatives have enabled young people to develop more positive relations with culturally and religiously different neighbours, but this work has just begun. Continuing international tensions over matters of identity and faith require that we better understand the political context for such work so that we might shape future directions more deliberately and more clearly.

There is an alleged crisis of cohesion in the UK, manifested in debates about identity and 'Britishness', the breakdown of social connections along the fault lines of geography, ethnicity, faith, income and age, and the fragile relationship between citizen and state. This book examines how these new dimensions of diversity and difference, so often debated in the national context, are emerging at the neighbourhood level. Contributors from a range of disciplinary backgrounds critically assess, and go beyond the limits of, contemporary policy discourses on 'community cohesion' to explore the dynamics of diversity and cohesion within neighbourhoods and to identify new dimensions of disconnection between and within neighbourhoods. The chapters provide theoretically informed critiques of the policy responses of public, private, voluntary and community organisations and present a wealth of new empirical research evidence about the dynamics of cohesion in UK neighbourhoods. Topics covered include new immigration, religion and social capital, faith schools, labour and housing market disconnections, neighbourhood territoriality, information technology and neighbourhood construction, and gated communities. Community cohesion in crisis? will be of interest to academics, policy makers, practitioners and students in the fields of human and urban geography, urban studies, sociology, politics, governance, social policy, criminology and housing studies.