Mens & Maatschappij - Volume 91, Issue 4, 2016

The unequal city

Social (spatial) inequality appears to be increasing in many cities across the globe, and also in Europe and in the Netherlands. Formerly rather equal societies, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, are currently confronted with much higher levels of socioeconomic inequality, potentially also resulting in increasing spatial inequality. In this paper we address these dynamics, with a special focus on Europe and particularly on Amsterdam. We refer to a range of structural and institutional factors that help understand the processes towards higher levels of social spatial inequality, and also pay attention to the potential effects of the developments that have been described. It is concluded that many governments express an intention to reduce the levels of social spatial segregation. However, we gauge that few governments will actually intervene in the structural and institutional dynamics behind the processes described. Instead, a much more pragmatic type of policy may currently be the best to expect as an effort to stay away from the most negative impacts of increasing social spatial inequality.

Making a difference in the neighbourhood: Increased inequalities in civic participation between neighbourhoods and residents?

Do inequalities in civic participation increase in a policy context in which more is asked of the responsibility and self-efficacy of citizens to shape and maintain their local environment? It is argued in this article that residents do not have equal opportunities to contribute to neighbourhood development, which is a cause for concern as soon as interests and preferences differ between them. Based on a nationally representative Dutch survey (WoON 2015) differences in participation between neighbourhoods and residents were analysed, along with possible explanations. Based on survey data of 40 officially appointed deprived urban neighbourhoods it is explored whether these differences increased between 2012 and 2015, when national funding for these areas dried up. The results indicate that although socio-economic differences in participation are considerable, they have not increased.

Local democracy and the problem of participatory inequality

The growing responsibilities of Dutch local governments for policy that was originally carried out by the national government raise the question to what extent local democracy is up to these tasks. Citizen participation is a central demand in any representative democracy. Participation ought to be not merely high, but also equal and non-selective, so that the voice of all societal groups is heard proportionally loud. This is particularly important when societal groups differ in their political preferences.

This article studies the extent to which citizen participation in Dutch municipalities is indeed non-selective, by analyzing the first Dutch Local Election Survey 2016. It shows that not all citizens participate equally by casting their vote in local elections or via other local forms of participation. Particularly those groups that are underrepresented in political activities are more likely to support direct democracy in their municipality. The inequality in political participation along policy preferences cannot be reduced to demographic differences, implying that demographic representation is not the solution to participatory inequality.

Is more local home care more (un)equal? Socioeconomic inequalities in the access to home care in Dutch municipalities before and after the implementation of the Social Support Act (WMO) in 2007

The partial decentralisation of long-term care in the Netherlands is accompanied by cutbacks, reduction of individual social rights, and increasing dependency on self-, informal and private care. Are municipalities able to ensure a better distribution of care across socio-economic groups, also in times of retrenchment, as the policy assumption seems to be? In the Dutch context there has been no debate or research around this question. Based on data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), this study looks at the extent to which the decentralisation of home care that took place in 2007 was associated with increasing inequalities in the access to formal care within municipalities.