Social support networks in impoverished European neighbourhoods

Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which families living in precariousness in contemporary European cities draw on social support as a key resource in their struggle against poverty. The comparative observations and analysis presented draw on national level survey data as well as local level qualitative data collected in selected European neighbourhoods, under the auspices of the BETWIXT project.1 More specifically, our analysis focuses on the active modes and mechanisms for requesting and providing solidarity and support at times of familial crisis. The comparison of the Irish and Italian experiences illuminates the persistent involvement of households in informal support provision, even as family structures alter and welfare regimes change. We demonstrate the dynamics underlying the phenomenon of social support among precarious families living in deprived urban areas in the cities of Dublin and Turin. We address the dialectics between agency and structural constraint by examining whether or not family and/or social support networks are reinforced or further weakened by factors such as economic hardship, unemployment, and neighbourhood dereliction. We conclude that the effects of precariousness are multiple and contradictory: precariousness can create anomie and individualisation but it can also act as a spur to greater community cohesion. Such cohesion can also be expressed

Positive Youth Development and Being Bullied in Early Adolescence: A Sociocultural Analysis of National Cohort Data

“…In a case study of a low-income neighborhood in Ireland, researchers observed that high levels of drug and alcohol use in the community had created a norm of fear among local residents. This in turn, inhibited local residents from participating in community events (Olagnero, Meo, & Corcoran, 2005). Furthermore, families reported turning “inwards” to caring for their own affairs, enhancing the importance of high quality family relationships vital but also preventing broader social ties from forming (Olagnero et al, 2005), which could support young people’s development by providing them with additional adult role models and mentors.…”

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“…Studies have emphasized the continued existence of strong, local social ties within disadvantaged neighbourhoods in diverse locations including the UK, Ireland and Australia (Gosling 2008;Leonard 2004;Olagnero et al 2005;Warr 2005). These interactions can provide practical help (Gosling 2008;Warr 2005) as well as a sense of attachment and belonging to place (Robertson et al 2008).…”

‘Communities with Oomph’? Exploring the Potential for Stronger Social Ties to Revitalise Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods

“…More recently, there has been widespread critique of Putnam's notion of "social capital lost" (Edwards, 2004, page 5) and associated urban policies for overstating the "isolation, anomie or general anonymity" (Blokland, 2003, page 7) of urban life. Studies have emphasised the continued existence of strong, local social ties within disadvantaged neighbourhoods in diverse locations including the UK, Ireland, and Australia (Gosling, 2008;Leonard, 2004;Lupton, 2003;Olagnero et al, 2005;Warr, 2005). These interactions can provide practical assistance (Gosling, 2008;Warr, 2005), a sense of attachment and belonging to place (Robertson et al, 2008), and feelings of security (Watt, 2006).…”

“…Whilst distinctions between 'rough' and 'respectable' residents have long been a feature of working-class neighbourhoods (Watt, 2006), recent studies suggest that these tensions have been exacerbated by extenuating pressures in neighbourhoods experiencing decline. Researchers have identified social networks "shrinking under pressure" (Lupton, 2003, page 116) as a response to diverse factors such as fear of crime and antisocial behaviour, physical degradation, the erosion of public spaces such as shops, alienating estate design, and high population turnover (Cattell, 2001;Lupton, 2003;Olagnero et al, 2005;Watt, 2006). One frequently noted manifestation of this 'shrinking' of networks is the tendency to engage in "strategies of exclusion" (Sibley; cf Watt, 2006, page 788) to create distance from other residents.…”