Growing Stronger Together: Cultivating socioeconomic community development through social mix housing policy

Abstract: The thesis focuses on the use of social mix policies within the framework of Denmark's public housing system and their impact on economic connectedness and upward mobility for low-income, vulnerable beneficiaries. By conducting a meta-ethnographic review, the research aims to examine a total of six key ethnographic studies on the implementation of social mix strategies, with a view to generating a new, comprehensive conceptualisation of their contribution to socioeconomic mobility outcomes. The analytical effort is carried out against the framework of social capital theory, specifically in the formulation by Pierre Bourdieu. The thesis also explores the intersection of Danish immigration politics with housing and urban development strategies and advocates for bottom-up, participatory approaches and the independence of welfare financing and governance schemes from political interference. The findings highlight the potential of social mix policies in promoting economic mobility, social capital generation, and the creation of opportunities for vulnerable groups in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This is achieved by exposing individuals to diverse social realities and interactions as well as empowering them through the injection of material and organisational resources, therefore addressing power differentials and structural inequalities.