FACIT: Faith-Based Organisations and Social Exclusion in European Cities

Focus of the project

This project concerns the present role of Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) in matters of social exclusion in cities. Participating countries are: Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, UK, Turkey, Spain and Sweden. A FBO is any organisation that refers directly or indirectly to religion or religious values, and functions as a welfare provider or as a political actor. The central assumption is that FBOs tend to fill the gap left after the supposed withdrawal of the welfare state in several domains of public life, particularly in social welfare and in social protection. At first sight, this looks like a return to the charity of former times, when such associations occupied the fore of social help in many countries. But we might as well witness the beginning of a new type of welfare regime with a stronger focus on local policies and strategies and new interplays between local authorities and civil society organisations. 

Research by Verwey-Jonker Institute 

Verwey-Jonker Institute carried out a national inventory of Faith-Based Organisations. Surveys were conducted on FBOs, local networks and local social policies in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Tilburg. The Institute also contributes to the transnational comparison of results. In 2009 intermediary country context reports were published. In 2011 (autumn) the final national report on FBOs and social exclusion in the Netherlands will be available. At the end of 2010 the institute published a report in Dutch on FBOs and social exclusion in Tilburg 'Buitengewoon alledaags. De rol van levensbeschouwelijke organisaties bij het bestrijden van sociale uitsluiting in Tilburg'. A first copy of the report was presented to the responsible alderman of Tilburg, Jan Hamming, at a meeting of the Religious Council of Tilburg. A similar report on Rotterdam 'Geloof aan het werk' was presented in April 2011 during a meeting with representatives of organisations and local government. Several comparative European publications are planned. A short European policy brief with key observations and some first recommendations is already available.

Questions to be answered

FBOs have direct entrance to the poor side of cities because of several reasons:

1. Their activities in deprived urban neighbourhoods and among excluded groups, and
2. As in the case of many FBOs with a non-western background, because their members often belong to these deprived and excluded groups themselves.

Therefore the central questions concern those FBOs in an urban context. What is the position of FBOs in combating poverty and other forms of social distress cities? How has this role changed over time and how do these activities contribute to combating social exclusion and promoting social cohesion? How do urban networks in this field develop? What relations have FBOs developed, formally and informally, with other NGOs and with national and local public authorities? What are the implications for policies and the governance of European cities? From both scientific and policy perspectives, there is a great need for better empirical and comparative data in this field.

European project local stakeholders

FACIT is funded under the EU seventh framework programme of Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities. The municipalities of Rotterdam, Tilburg and Amsterdam provided invaluable support to the local case studies. Many representatives of national and local organisations and platforms contributed to the FACIT project during local stakeholder meetings and a cross national evaluation with researchers from other countries.