Rebuilding social cohesion in old industrial districts in Wallonia – facing precariousness through a social rights approach?

The social cohesion policy in Wallonia is influenced by the year 2000 strategy of the Council of the European Union seeking to address six fundamental rights (revenue, health, housing, work, education, socio-cultural fulfillment) through local strategies. We discuss based on a research started in 2017 how citizens gain access to these fundamental rights and how local social work and other related actors adapt this relatively new policy. The results show that even if the past of an industrial region is still relevant, full employment is gone and the industrial society (Touraine) is over for a long time. Even if, at a formal level the coordination between services is very important, in practice, most of the actors are overwhelmed by the persistence of multiple precarious situations and their lack of resources to address these problems appropriately. The main concerns are the lack of work and the persistence of unemployment, poverty and social isolation. Social cohesion policy remains an interesting tool addressing fundamental rights, but it needs to be completed by other actions to improve the economic condition.