The research program 'Solidarity in the 21st Century' focuses on the effects of changes in the composition of the population; such as immigration and ageing. The research program aims to analyze the effects of these changes on solidarity, both informal and formal. It examines what kind of motives, conditions and circumstances are beneficial for the sustainment of solidarity between different groups in society. The apparent discrepancies between immigrants and natives on the one hand, and the elderly and the young on the other hand, seem to have a serious impact on the Dutch tolerance and solidarity. Members of the different groups are unable to relate to each other, and fear that one group will benefit unequally from the other prevails. This is problematic because the tensions between the different groups in Dutch society are likely to grow.
By a combination of different research methods - qualitative case-studies, statistical data analysis, economic experiments, media analysis - this research project will investigate the different conditions of and motives for solidarity. The focus of this research is on solidarity between immigrant and natives, and between the elderly and the young, simultaneously. The qualitative case-study research focuses on the micro level of the neighborhood; what kind of conditions (socioeconomic composition, public institutions, etc.) influence informal solidarity? The statistical data research (or survey research) tries to establish which circumstances on the macro level (such as ethnic diversity and age differentiation) affects both formal solidarity, in terms of support for the welfare state, and informal solidarity. The economic experiments will analyze which external factors determine the willingness to support others by controlling different conditions. The media analysis focuses on the influence of media imaging on the ways the different groups perceive each other. The aim of the research program is to connect the different parts of research, which eventually will lead to a final research paper on solidarity, next to the separate research papers based on the different research methods.
The research is conducted by the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labor Studies, which is part of the University of Amsterdam. The research is led by prof. dr. Paul de Beer and is subsidized by Foundation Institute Gak.
For more information about the research program or access to publications and proposals, please contact m.d.zwiers@uva.nl.