Project description
Strategies to increase inclusiveness in public policies
The existing distrust in political institutions across Europe limits the role of more vulnerable citizens in the decision-making process. During the pandemic, this trend increased. In this context, the EU-funded INVOLVE project will carry out systematic quantitative research into the complex relationships between democracy and inequalities as well as related trends and causes, with the aim of designing scalable and generalisable strategies for participatory and inclusive policies. The project will engage vulnerable groups, political and public decision-makers, NGOs and experts in eight European countries as co-researchers in developing the inclusive policies. Moreover, it will deploy campaigns with viable policy recommendations to contribute to democratic participation in social policies at local, national, transnational and European levels.
Objective
INVOLVE
For trustful, participatory and inclusive public policies
Across Europe there is evidence of the existing distrust in political institutions and the increased stratification of political involvement across Europe, with more vulnerable citizens having less access and influence in the decision-making process. The COVID 19 pandemic has exposed and reinforced these trends. These shifts pose a great challenge to the democratic welfare state.
INVOLVE’s main objective is to help design scalable and generalizable strategies to reduce social, economic, and political inequalities. The project builds on systematic quantitative research into the trends, causes and complex relationships between democracy and inequalities. The project also focuses on how public and social services engage with vulnerable groups of citizens, especially in the age of digitalization. It will involve vulnerable groups in 8 European countries as co-researchers to complement and refine the results. In a series of concrete pilots of action-research, their aspirational capacity and their power of voice are strengthened to bring about concrete change in public services and social policies.
INVOLVE will not only involve vulnerable citizens facing multiple inequalities, but also political and public decision-makers, NGOs representing vulnerable groups and experts to develop viable political strategies in order to achieve more trust-based governance in public services, to contribute to the development of a more participatory and socially responsible society.
The final stage of INVOLVE aims to contribute to democratic participation in social policies at local, national, transnational and European level through campaigns with viable policy recommendations. INVOLVE also aims to enrich future research with an encompassing and innovative perspective on inequality and democracy, based on an ‘alliance of knowledge’.
Fields of science
- social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical policiespublic policies
- social sciencessociologygovernancepublic services
- social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical policiescivil societynongovernmental organizations
- social sciencespolitical sciencesgovernment systemsdemocracy
- social sciencessociologysocial issuessocial inequalities
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
1030 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium