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Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond

Publication Date:

27/11/2024

Content Type:

Event Reports

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Civil Engagementfaith-based organisationsGlobal Crises Local ImpactsSocial Cohesionyouth groups

— 5 minutes reading time

Event Details

Description: This webinar focused on strengthening social cohesion following contested elections. While many local governments do not have specific mandates for organising or overseeing elections, they can – and are increasingly required to – play key roles in helping to safeguard and strengthen social cohesion following a contested election, when polarisation and tensions are high and there may be calls (on/offline) for protests or violence. The webinar, which builds on a Strong Cities policy brief published in March on Preventing and Responding to Election Disruption and Violence: Ten Considerations for Cities, included a city panel discussion with local officials from across Europe and North America, as well as a read-out from our host organisation, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, on the recent US elections. This is the tenth in the series of monthly webinars focused on the threats cities are facing from online harms and the approaches they can take to address them.

Where & When: 20 November 2024, virtual

Cities Represented

• Dąbrowa Górnicza (Poland)
• Tempe (Arizona, USA) 
• Village of Skokie (Illinois, USA)

Organisations Represented

• Institute for Strategic Dialogue (presenting on its latest research on threats to election integrity)

Key Takeaways

• Forming strong relationships with community partners and building trust is essential for managing tensions, especially in cities with diverse communities. Strong relationships between community partners – such as faith-based organisations, youth groups, and professional associations – and city officials makes dialogue easier in times of crisis. Relationships should be in place and trust should have been established well-before a crisis emerges so they can withstand the shocks to social cohesion that a crisis can cause. 
• Threats to social cohesion are often borderless, so communication and collaboration with other cities and awareness of global trends can help local government be prepared for local impact. While cities may not be on the front lines of global crises, they often acutely feel their impacts. Having an awareness of global issues allows cities to be proactive in preparing for threats to social cohesion, including by producing a plan for when those threats arrive rather than taking action only after they have manifested. Collaboration between cities – including sharing information and concerns about how global crises may be impacting their communities – can enhance city preparedness as it allows one city to share insights into a crisis that may have not yet reached other cities yet.  
• Preventing hate crimes and hate incidents begins with tracking early warning signs and being proactive on messaging and outreach. The hate landscape is broader than what might law enforcement might categorise as a “hate crime”.  Tracking incidents motivated by hate and understanding (and then helping address) the factors that lead people down the path to hate can be important steps towards curbing hate crimes at the local level. Additionally, ensuring that community leaders are properly equipped to recognise and handle hate incidents and report them through official channels is a good way to expand hate prevention efforts.  
• Productive and civil disagreement is often lost in today’s polarised landscape, and more needs to be done to encourage vocal community members to engage with civility and compassion no matter how divisive the issue. With national political frustrations often spilling over into local communities, the rhetoric used and animosity shown by residents in city council or school board meetings is becoming increasingly heated, with opposing sides often using dehumanising language in their arguments. Among other things, this is slowing down local government processes and can lead to even greater frustration. Learning how to channel this frustration and energy into productive, respectful dialogue reduces local tensions while simultaneously producing more responsive governance.  

Next Steps

This webinar was the tenth in a series of monthly webinars for mayors, city representatives and research organisations for timely discussion and exchanges of approaches around Global Crises, Local Impacts. The next session, focused on the connection between urban planning and enhancing social cohesion, is scheduled for Wednesday, 29 January 2025.

Additional Resources

Strong Cities Resources

Policy Briefs & Guides:

• Preventing and Responding to Election Disruption and Violence: Ten Considerations for Cities, Strong Cities Network (October 2024)
• Impact: Catalysing City-Led Prevention, Strong Cities Network (September 2024)
• Transatlantic Dialogue Initiative: Ten Key Findings in 2023, Strong Cities Network (March 2024)
• A Guide for Mayors: Preventing and Responding to Hate, Extremism and Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (September 2023)
• A Guide for Cities: Preventing Hate, Extremism & Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (September 2023)
• A Guide for City-Led Response, Strong Cities Network (April 2024)

Global Crises, Local Impacts Webinar Series:

• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond: Migration, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (September 2024)
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond: Online/Offline Harms, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (July 2024)
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond: Restoring Civil Discourse & Empathy, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (June 2024)
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond: Local Impacts of Israel-Gaza, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (May 2024)
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond: Local Impacts of Israel-Gaza, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (April 2024)
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond: Local Impacts of Israel-Gaza, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (March 2024)
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond: Local Impacts of Israel-Gaza, Event Report, Strong Cities Network (February 2024)

Other Resources

• Annual Report on Violence Targeting Local Officials – 2023, Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) (May 2024)
• January 6 Scorecard: Analyzing Threats to Democracy – 2024, Western States Center (May 2024)
• 10 Years Later, the Bundy Standoff Continues to Shape the Anti-Government Landscape, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (May 2024)
• Countering Anti-Institutional Extremism in Europe (interview with Erik Akerboom, Director General of the Dutch domestic intelligence service, the General Intelligence and Security Service), International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (March 2024)
• Anti-Government Threats and their Transnational Connections, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (March 2024)
• Understanding Threats and Harassment Against Local Officials, Bridging Divides Initiative, Princeton University
• Field Guide for Assessing Chances of Online-to-Offline Mobilization, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (June 2023)
• Conspiracy Theories Matter, But Not All Are Meaningful: A Guide for Analyzing Risk to Audiences, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (May 2024)

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