oa Ertoe doen in de buurt

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.