On a scale from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates a total lack of social cohesion, Moldova has overall scored 0.3 on the Social Cohesion Index. The low score is mainly to blame on the fact that Moldovans have little trust in the democratic system and rule of law because of rampant corruption. The solution is to address just that, by developing policies to improve public integrity. The Index was presented today at a press conference by the Partnership for Development Center (PDC) and the East Europe Foundation (EEF).
Per the OECD’s definition, a cohesive society is one which works towards the well-being of all its members, fights exclusion and marginalisation, and promotes trust, among other things.
“Significant effort is needed to promote genuine public policies that fight corruption for real and increase confidence in institutions. There is a causal relation between the level of trust and the level of well-being within a society. The more trust the general public has in authorities, the more it reflects the authorities’ ability to respond to the needs and problems faced by communities”, stated Andrei Brighidin, EEF Director for Development, Monitoring and Evaluation.
Rodica Ivașcu, PDC program director, said the data for measuring the Social Cohesion Index was collected through an opinion poll in 2018. The survey in particular showed that only 13% of respondents trusted political parties and the democratic system, and only 14% had confidence in the justice system. According to the expert, a society where most people question the legitimacy of government decisions and don’t believe that the rule of law can protect them is a society that values less the observance of laws, tends to evade taxes and accepts bribery as the norm. Also, such society is less likely to trust its internal capacity to change things for the better by active involvement.
Natalia Covrig, PDC public policy analyst, noted however that social cohesion levels among communities and among social groups is relatively high – 0.7. At the same time, higher-income people are less tolerant towards vulnerable groups. Also notably, despite being very interested in political issues, the level of Moldovans’ involvement in activities of public interest approaches zero. According to Natalia Covrig, the main obstacle to involvement is the lack of information, and so the onus is on the authorities or local organizations responsible for organizing such activities.
The Social Cohesion Index is an effort within the “Joint Equal Opportunity Initiative” Project, implemented by the EEF, in partnership with the PDC, and with the Support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
