ReSET Social Justice

Citizens are not only consulted for decision-making but are able to make informed, legally-binding decisions through well-planned participatory and direct democracy structures.

Objective and expected benefits: Allowing citizens to be meaningfully involved in decision-making on topics which affect their lives increases the engagement of the general public in their community, society and politics. It enhances the legitimacy of the decisions made since they better reflect the needs and desires of wider society. It frees politicians and decision makers from the influence of lobbies, allowing for greater innovation and efficiency for decisions that benefit the greater good. Increased transparency in decision-making leads to greater public acceptance of policies and can decrease political polarization.

How to reach the objectives:

• Review and adapt existing legal framework to allow for participatory and direct democracy, for example Bürgerhaushalt Mals; Euregio-BürgerInnenrat.
• Provide education opportunities on political processes and participatory democracy (and its different instruments) for citizens, politicians and administration, this can be done in collaboration with existing initiatives like Dirdemdi and Politis.
• Promote a political culture open to participation and co-decision making, e.g. in collaboration with local associations.
• Provide funding and resources at local and provincial level for participation in decision making processes (as in Autonomiekonvent).
•  Develop non-partisan/political decision making structures at frazione level (to avoid concentration of decision making power in one political party), for example Kindergemeinderat Eppan, Bürgerhaushalt Mals, Bürgerhaushalt Eppan, Jugendwerkstatt Salurn.

Examples from other places

Klimarat Österreich (see details in this evaluation report and video)

There is sufficient stock of social and private housing to guarantee access for all those in need of it. All housing is safe, well-insulated and affordable. Bureaucratic barriers to access housing are minimal.

Objective and expected benefits: There is no discrimination in access to housing (based on age, gender, immigration background, disabilities, etc). Rented housing is affordable and stable, with sufficient space for residents (i.e. no overcrowding). New workers and students are no longer deterred from moving to South Tyrol due to high accommodation costs.

How to reach the objectives:

• Control and establish clear rules for short term rent.
• Support Housing First initiatives such as Dormizil, and others that support disadvantaged people’s social inclusion (such as La Strada Der Weg or by Voluntarius).
• Redefine the criteria for access to social housing so that they meet the needs of different population groups, combatting housing exclusion.
• Monitor discrimination cases and hold landlords and housing rental agencies accountable for such cases.
• Support renters and landlords in understanding their rights and responsabilities, together with local entities such as AFI-IPL.
• Encourage the reallocation of social housing units according to household size and co-housing models.
• Ensure high quality standards for social housing (both in new buildings and through renovation of existing buildings), including community and green spaces.
• Provide information and advice on good heating and ventilation practices.
• Conduct census of vacant houses.
• Dis-incentivise empty homes (e.g through a vacancy tax based on the number of housing units owned; monitor effects of taxation changes).
• Support owners to rent empty buildings. Provide small homeowners with information, incentives and support, through awareness-raising campaigns and regulatory measures, to encourage them to make their homes available on the private market. The establishment of a sound and fairly funded fund for non-repayable arrears (“fondo morosità incolpevole“) is key in facilitate access to rental housing markets for vulnerable groups.
• Establish fair finance criteria for new buildings.
• Overcome discrimination in public rental subsidies, in particular the 5 year threshold for Third Country Nationals without long-term visa.
• Establish effective rent containment policies to the benefit of all citizens.
• Facilitate intersectoral coordination (social, urban planning, labour market stakeholders, university) to overcome fragmentation.
• Support innovative solutions (e.g. community housing, co-housing, intergenerational living solutions in urban and rural areas, housing cooperatives).

Examples from other places

• Case Law on discrimination in access to social housing in Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardia.
• The Housing-Integration Nexus: shaping exchange and innovation for migrants’ access to housing and social inclusion.
• Lidewij Tummers, The re-emergence of self-managed co-housing in Europe: A critical review of co-housing research.
• Cities engaging in right to housing.
• European project Includ-EU on housing integration.

Every person residing in South Tyrol has equal access and opportunity to take part in cultural and public life.

Objective and expected benefits:

‘Taking part in cultural and public life’ means that everyone feels safe and comfortable in all public spaces. That means no one fears being treated differently by other citizens because of the clothes they wear, the colour of their skin, their age, their language, their accent, their abilities etc. Furthermore, their contribution to public discussions and cultural events are included and valued as equally as everyone else’s. Cultural programmes across the province reflect the diversity of our society. Citizens understand the richness of culture in South Tyrol and respect one anothers’ differences.

This applies online too. All people should be able to access online events, information and services.

How to reach the objectives:

• Provide political and financial support for inclusive and intersectional grassroots activities by and for women, immigrants, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities.
• Provide funding is dedicated for inclusive projects, for instance for inclusive education.
• Offer digital literacy programmes to help close the digital divide, for instance through digital literacy courses especially in remote areas to help people who struggle to use technology and the internet.
• Build support networks in local communities: Community-led social infrastructure can be expanded in order underpin vital services and support structures needed to enhance resilience and to include also marginalised and otherwise excluded citizens.
• Connect and empower a range of actors, including local governments, businesses and civil society, to work together, for instance through social projects at the local level – an example is the Smart Rural 21 Guide.
• Establish 15 minute environments: keep services available in immediate surroundings, especially in rural areas (shops, health services, etc.).
• Support grassroots and locally oriented projects for transformation of local economies and communities, for example BASIS Vinschgau.
• economies and communities, for example BASIS Vinschgau.

Examples from other places

Project Quartiersmanagment, Berlin: Responsibility for small-scale projects is delegated to residents living in deprived areas who are organised in neighbourhood management bodies. The Neighbourhood Management programme is funded by the national Social City initiative, with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project helped to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of 25 disadvantaged urban districts in Saxony.

All people in South Tyrol have access to affordable, preventive and curative healthcare of good quality.

Objective and expected benefits: All people, regardless of location, age, immigration status etc, are able to access high quality and affordable preventive and curative healthcare. Service delivery is efficient and organised. Greater emphasis is placed on preventative healthcare for physical and mental health. Gender-specific needs and treatment are always considered. Digital health services are accessible to all.

How to reach the objectives:

• Ensure equal treatment and the right to health to all people. Particular focus on marginalised groups (such as Roma, undocumented migrants and homeless people, people with disabilities and chronic illness).
• Facilitate participatory decision making in the field of healthcare (see also the ‘Participatory and direct democracy’ objective).
• Overcome staff shortage especially in rural and remote areas. Attract healthcare workers by offering well-remunerated working conditions that guarantee a healthy work-life balance.
• Establish more healthcare centres; ensure all people are within 30 minutes of a healthcare centre.
• Finance training opportunities of health workers.
• Make the continuum of care central: following a patient from preventive care through medical incidents, rehabilitation and maintenance of good health.
• Develop awareness-raising campaigns and education to combat the stigma surrounding mental health issues, especially amongst men and boys.
• Ensure affordability of care including mental health.
• Ensure that the actors in health care are well connected with each other and the interoperability across the continuum of care with the Electronic Health record.
• Guarantee the patients’ access to, ownership and control of their data.
• Provide training for those sections of the population who have difficulties with the electronic health record.
• Invest in greater research and training in hospitals on the difference in symptoms between genders.

All people have access to good quality, healthy and regional food.

Objective and expected benefits: All people have access to healthy, nutritious and regional food at affordable prices, with improvements in health and well-being. People are able to make informed choices about which food to buy and consume to be both healthy and sustainable. Regional resilience is increased through increased self-sufficiency in food. Grey emissions related to food transport are reduced.

How to reach the objectives:

• Facilitate access to regional, fair-produced food.
• Strengthen dedicated funds for sustainable agriculture (example from South Tyrol).
• Raise awareness about the importance and benefits of healthy food and of a healthy diet.
• Raise awareness about externalities and the role that lower prices play in consumption choices. Many customers take the price as the main element to decide what product to buy, since their main goal is to spend less money.
• Improve local supply chains and networking among stakeholders.
• Favour contracts with canteens for schools and public employees that offer local and fair products: Italy has a very strict and cutting-edge legislation regulating food that is provided to public bodies.
• Introduce information on packaging which informs consumers on the nutritional value and the environmental sustainability of food production.
• Involve students in developing nutritional plans for their schools.
• Raise awareness about the quality of food that we eat, for example through coaching.
• Provide information on externalities (positive and negative) of food production. Regional, and fair food often costs more because it includes positive externalities and because sustainable practices are more expensive. Guidelines on True Cost Accounting (TCA) of products exist and should be spread.
• Support technological innovation to increase efficiency in farming and reduce or reuse waste.
• Introduce anticipatory actions to prevent a possible future food crisis (for example humanitarian assistance, social safety nets and insurance).
• Support networks that promote regional produce, such as Roter Hahn and EU Farm to Fork.
• Encourage or legislate for a percentage of all food sold in hotels and restaurants to be of provincial/regional origin. The NEST project is trying to reach this objective.

Examples from other places

• This initiative presents the supermarket price and the true cost of the goods.
• 100% Local Alp, Foodway, Territorial Brands (written in the framework of EUSALP by representatives of local authorities and by researchers)
• Santa Chiara Lab.
• Milan Urban Food Policy Pact.
• Home – PLAN’EAT Project (planeat-project.eu).
• SC FSS2021 (sc-fss2021.org).
• EAT – The science-based global platform for food system transformation (eatforum.org).

Disadvantaged people are supported to become thriving members in a society where everyone is treated with respect and kindness.

Objective and expected benefits: The resilience of South Tyrolean society is increased through enhanced social cohesion and sense of togetherness. All people have access to the goods and services necessary for their well-being and people feel included and valued in their communities. No person lives in poverty or fears becoming homeless.

How to reach the objectives:

• Ensure fair access to adequate resources (e.g., public services and aids, considering inflation); support non-governmental initiatives that provide these services (e.g. ECO library Eurac, OEW library).
• Overcome energy poverty through, for example, subsidies, Energiegemeinschaften.
• Ensure gender-equitable distribution of supply and own work.
• Ensure the exercise of human rights without any type of discrimination, also in emergency management (for example following a disaster).
• Increase awareness of urban/rural living environments and how this affects peoples lives and opportunities (e.g., regarding mobility/accessibility).
• Increase resilience and preparedness of local communities before possible disasters/emergencies occur.
• Recognize emerging or exacerbated inequalities in ST caused by climate change.
• Highlight inequalities and climate change as social determinants of health and implement working groups, elaborating mitigation strategies.
• Subsidise public transport for low-income families (see e.g. Großelternkarte).
• Protect disadvantaged communities from additional pollution (e.g. traffic emissions, road noise).
• Provide information and educational tools about the climate crisis, its causes, impact, consequences, how to adapt and mitigate. Develope informational campaign (for the broad public, keeping potential barriers in mind (language, visual impairments…),  as well as educational tools (for all school levels).
• Conceptualise barrier-free or low-barrier info materials (see e.g. Easy language in administration or for certain groups).
• Facilitate participatory democracy by rendering political processes accessible to different groups (e.g., reduce barriers).