Social Cohesion: Methods of Analysis and Ways of Achievement

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issues of social cohesion, its conceptual foundations, and measurement methods that allow expanding the possibilities of studying the consequences of poverty and social inequality that lead to social disintegration of society. Trends in working conditions from the perspective of labour income, access to social protection systems, and stable employment are considered. Special attention is paid to the categories «social cohesion», «social disintegration», «life chances», methods of their classification and methodological relationships. It reflects the positions of international organizations, Western and domestic scientists on the phenomenon of social cohesion, the relevance of which in the life of modern societies is currently increasing. Existing and proposed methods of assessing social cohesion, social disintegration, and life chances can be used to analyze the effectiveness of social policy, allowing them to identify real opportunities to achieve certain levels of material well-being and quality of life for the most typical population groups by income levels, education, and duration of employment in professional groups. This provides a more accurate analysis of opportunities to achieve a higher level of education, social status, access to quality medical care, and reliable insurance institutions. The degree of access of individuals to knowledge, social services, employment, and social networks reflects not only their potential opportunities that can be realized in the future, but also describes the current state of Affairs: an uneven distribution of resources that generates poverty and social disunity. The triad of «poverty – social inequality – life chances» is considered in a union context to develop recommendations for improving social policy.