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Social participation

Social participation encompasses all activities outside people's personal lives and the economy, or in other words paid work. There is a difference between passive social participation, such as being a member of associations and giving (financial) support to organisations, and active participation, for example in the form of volunteering and taking part in political campaigns.

Positive effects
Scientists and policymakers expect social participation to produce positive effects, both for society as a whole and for the participants themselves. These effects are stronger the more active the participation is.

Broad and narrow
Both broad and narrow interpretations of social participation are possible.

According to the broad interpretation, activities in people's personal lives (e.g. providing informal care) or activities as users of provisions (e.g. using libraries, visiting museums) are included under social participation.

Certain conditions can have the effect of narrowing the interpretation, for example the requirement that the intention should be to do something for others or for society. Participating in sport and attending church then do not count as social participation. Or the condition applied may be that the activity takes place voluntarily; from this perspective, a social internship no longer counts as social participation.

Depending on the breadth of the interpretation, SCP investigates social participation in many areas (e.g. use of provisions, cultural participation, care).

Sharper insights
Research into social participation has really taken off since the end of the 20th century. In the Netherlands, much of the knowledge in this field is gathered and disseminated by MOVISIE, the Netherlands Centre for Social Development. Universities, and especially political scientists and sociologists, also frequently carry out research on social participation. A European research network focusing on social participation and civil society has also been in place for several years: CINEFOGO. Using this network, researchers and policymakers from different countries are able to make cross-national comparisons in order to arrive at sharper insights.

Research at SCP
 The SCP research on social participation is concentrated in the Participation & Governance research group. You will find information here on current projects and recent publications. The research focuses on forms of social and political participation both over time and in cross-country comparisons. In addition to individual activities, the research focuses on the organisations and networks within which those activities take place (civil society, the third sector, etc.).

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