Does Economic Vulnerability Affect Social Cohesion? Evidence from a Comparative Analysis

This article explores the relationship between social cohesion and social inequalities in Europe. The analysis is built around two main research questions: Does economic vulnerability exert an impact on the level of social cohesion? Does social class mediate between economic vulnerability and social cohesion? The comparative analysis is based on the welfare regimes perspective. In my opinion, welfare state is relevant because it influences not only the relationship between social class and economic vulnerability, but also the link between social cohesion and economic vulnerability. The empirical analysis, based on data from the “European Quality of Life Survey” collected by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in 2003, shows that economic vulnerability does influence social cohesion and that social class and welfare regime are partially able to attenuate this effect.