Poverty and social cohesion: concepts, perception of the people concerned and effects of the economic crisis

This study, which was led by the Department of Government of the
University of Vienna and undertaken in cooperation with the Institute for
Advanced Studies (IHS), analyzed the question how “social cohesion”
can be conceptualized and what mutual interdependencies exist between the
concepts “poverty” and “social exclusion”. The integration
of these different discourses into an “Integrated Concept of Social
Cohesion” (IKSK) constituted the basis for empirical research, which
examined the following central questions:

• To what extent and in
  what way are the corner stones of such an integrated concept of social cohesion
  reflected in relevant interpretations of the national political discourse?
• To
  what extent and in what way are the corner stones of such a concept reflected
  in the reference points and contents which are perceived, by people with a low
  income, as key to their own situation?
• What are the implications of the ongoing
  economic and financial crisis for the different dimensions of participation/social
  cohesion?