Title: Socially Inclusive Cities
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: There is increasing awareness that across the world some groups in society are being excluded from opportunities while other groups enjoy unfair advantages. This unjust state of affairs appears to be getting worse rather than better, even in countries where wealth is increasing overall. There is agreement among many international bodies working in low and middle income countries that equality and fairness must be given more priority in future in order to improve the economic wellbeing and life chances of all people in these countries. Failure to do this in the past has led to most people from minority ethnic and religious groups being more likely to have low paid work, to live in slums with risky conditions and to have poorer access to healthcare, education, finance and public transport. People from these populations are also excluded from systems for justice and government and from decision-making about things that affect their lives. This kind of unfairness leads to public unrest and unstable societies. Public services can be a major influence on how well individuals from ethnic and religious minorities are able to participate in society and be treated as full citizens. Supporting institutions to provide services more effectively to people from such groups is an essential issue for cities that want to be inclusive. This involves political and social challenges, however, as competition for work and resources often drives conflict between ethnic groups. Institutions can also fail to give priority to this issue, especially when statistics they collect to see how well they are doing do not even record ethnic and religious differences. The Socially Inclusive Cities Network will focus on how research might help reduce these inequalities. We will look at research evidence from across the world on the experiences of people from minority ethnic and religious groups and any ways that public services have tried to reduce unfairness. We will also hold workshops in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Vietnam and the UK with experts on this topic, including voluntary and advocacy organisations that represent people from these populations, policymakers, service professionals and others who can contribute. We will specifically consider the needs of women and young people in minority ethnic and religious groups as they can face additional layers of disadvantage. Workshop participants will discuss the evidence available as well as gaps in knowledge and what further research might help move things forward. We will identify common issues across different public services and factors that apply to specific institutions and we will focus on what might help change things. We are especially interested in minority ethnic or religious populations that experience the highest levels of social exclusion in low and middle income countries. We also want to identify strategies that can be used across different services within a city so that things change across the board and help create 'inclusive cities'.


Research activity codes: 8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE