We see social cohesion as both an end and a means to achieve economic growth and
development. We see the role of society in working cohesively towards the well-being of all its
members by fighting exclusion and marginalization, by creating a sense of belonging, by promoting
trust, and by offering to its members the opportunity of upward mobility.
Public policies are often more effective in socially cohesive societies resulting in greater poverty
reduction and a more stable growth process. Lack of social cohesion hampers the ability to
implement efficient fiscal policy aimed at reducing inequality. Social cohesion also reduces
transaction costs, that is, the costs incurred in making economic exchanges, such as information
gathering, communications, and contract enforcement. Finally, social cohesion enhances growth by
facilitating collective action, that is cooperation among individuals in pursuit of shared objectives