A little over three years ago, a report was published which appeared to represent a minor revolution in activism in the UK.
The Spartacus project saw disabled people harness social media to carry out policy research and gather information and experiences in a way that might not have been possible for many of them before.
Assembling findings on the impact of government benefit reforms on those who were unable to work, their report saw disabled people, many of whom had no experience of activism, combining their efforts to shed new light on the impact of austerity policies. That study and a number of subsequent reports, have been credited with helping bring about a number of changes to those policies.
Spartacus was an impressive example of new forms of solidarity in the face of government cutbacks, regardless of the row which recently erupted when one of its prime movers Sue Marsh took a job with Maximus, the company which is taking over medical testing of claimants.
Arguably foodbanks are another example of austerity policies provoking a community-based response.
But are such developments the norm? Or is the reality that the financial crisis and the reaction to it in Europe has undermined social cohesion, seeing minorities and the vulnerable stigmatised and scapegoated?
That's the question which a new €2.5m research project will explore, looking at the impact of international economic crisis on groups such as immigrants, the unemployed and the disabled.
It is a major piece of work, spanning 10 countries, including the UK, where the work will be carried out at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Dr Simoni Baglioni, Reader in Politics at GCU, says the study will look at whether budget constraints across Europe have led to national indifference, populism and xenophobia among the public and to what extent new forms of solidarity are counteracting that. It will explore the reactions from politicians in countries including the UK, Italy, Norway and Poland and how they have been portrayed in the media.
"We have seen the mobilisation of disabled people but also difference in the general public in terms of how we perceive disabled people's entitlement," Dr Baglioni says.
There is a tension, he argues, around some of these groups, which mirrors the larger-scale dilemma over the plight of Greece. "Some have sympathy with the sacrifice Greece has been having to make, others believe that people bring their own troubles on themselves and are suffering due to choices they have made.
Right wing protests in favour of austerity policies, the rise of Ukip and the success of France's Front National are examples which may be seen to counterbalance the achievements of the Spartacus Movement, he suggests.
Funded by the European Commission under its Horizon 2020 programme, this work could seem remote and academic, Dr Baglioni admits. But he says whether or not shared societal values are maintained or eroded across Europe could have a big impact on whether any sense of international solidarity survives.
"Will people stay in Europe and keep building, or will Europe become less resilient and sustainable?" he asks. "This study may seem scientific, but has a very strong pragmatic meaning in terms of consequences for all our lives."
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