Social Cohesion in the Western World ― What Holds Societies Together: Insights from the Social Cohesion Radar

This book explores the quality of interaction between members of a community, determined by three basic factors: resilient social relations, positive connectedness between members and the community, and a pronounced focus on the common good. It presents a systematic account of social cohesion, based on a review of the literature and measured by a unique empirical instrument. Readers are introduced to the Social Cohesion Radar, developed by the Bertelsmann Foundation, which is a global organization active in political, social, economic, educational, cultural, and health-related issues. Developed as a sound methodological tool for the comparison of academic and institutional data, the Social Cohesion Radar measures and traces the development of social cohesion on an international level over a period of almost 25 years, in 34 European and OECD countries, and on the regional level, in the 16 provinces of Germany.