Conceptualising and Measuring Social Cohesion in Africa: Towards a Perceptions-Based Index

Abstract

Social cohesion is a key concept in development studies. Weak social cohesion is often related to slow economic growth and (violent) conflict. So far few attempts have been made to measure this complex concept in a systematic manner. This paper introduces an innovative method to measure national-level social cohesion based on survey data from 19 African countries. We distinguish three dimensions of social cohesion; i.e. the extent of perceived inequalities, the level of societal trust, and the strength of people's adherence to their national identity. Importantly, our social cohesion index is based on individuals' perceptions vis-à-vis these three different dimensions of social cohesion rather than certain macro-level 'objective' indicators such as GDP/capita or Gini-coefficients. We develop two social cohesion indices: a national average Social Cohesion Index (SCI) and a Social Cohesion Index Variance-Adjusted (SCIVA); the latter one takes into account the level of variation across different ethnic groups within countries. The SCI and SCIVA are computed for and compared across nineteen African countries for the period 2005-2012 on the basis of Afrobarometer survey rounds 3, 4 and 5. We also investigate quantitatively the relationship between countries' levels of social cohesion and the occurrence of a range of conflict events. As expected, we find that countries with low levels of social cohesion in a particular year according to our SCI are more likely to experience a range of different conflict events in the subsequent year.

The ‘Dark Side’ of Social Capital: A Cross-National Examination of the Relationship Between Social Capital and Violence in Africa

“…On the other hand, cognitive social capital refers to shared norms, values, attitudes, and beliefs (Krishna and Shrader 2000). Commonly used indicators of cognitive social capital include trust among community members (Dowla 2006;Bisung et al 2014) and the adherence to a national identity (Langer et al 2017).…”

“…According to the social cohesion approach popularized by Coleman (1990) and Putnam (2000), cognitive social capital comprises the shared beliefs, values, trusts and norms between people that stimulate cooperation (Uphoff 2000). In an effort to measure social cohesion, Langer et al (2017) recently proposed a perceptions-based index incorporating three components: inequality, the level of trust and adherence to a national identity. Of these, trust and identity are most frequently used as indictors of cognitive social capital (De Silva et al 2006;El Hajj et al 2011;Mitchell and Bossert 2007).…”

Legal Empowerment and Horizontal Inequalities after Conflict

“…The context is far more 'inauspicious' where political, social, economic, and cultural inequalities are mutually reinforcing; the inequalities are deeply embedded in the political settlement, socioeconomic structure, cultural norms, and plural legal systems; and the inequalities were among the causes of conflict. How legal empowerment is implemented in such contexts may negatively impact on social cohesion -and hence increase the chances of violent conflict (Langer et al 2015). Langer et al (2015: 5) define social cohesion as 'essentially a matter of how individuals perceive others and the state'.…”

Cohesivity Fisheries Community in the Face of Climate Change on the Coast of Western Java

“…Secara etimologi kohesi merupakan kemampuan suatu kelompok untuk menyatu, dan kohesi sosial merupakan hasil dari hubungan individu dan lembaga. The European Union (EU) menyatakan bahwa kohesi sosial merupakan kapasitas masyarakat untuk menjamin kesejahteraan seluruh anggotanya, meminimalkan kesenjangan dan menghindari marginalisasi untuk mengelola perbedaan dan perpecahan serta memastikan sarana untuk mencapai kesejahteraan bagi seluruh anggota (Langer et al 2015).…”

“…Berdasarkan pemaparan tersebut, menarik untuk diteliti bagaimana tingkat kohesivitas komunitas nelayan dalam menghadapi perubahan iklim. Aspek yang akan dilihat dari dari kohesi sosial yaitu social capital, sense of community dan collective efficacy (Putnam 1995;Regina Berger-Schmit 2000;Dickes et al 2009;Jenson 2010;CLES 2014;Cloette 2014;Langer et al 2015).…”