Conference Building Social Cohesion: A National, European and International Perspective

Image source: Adobe Stock. Image copyright: Irina

Topics

Convergence and social cohesion Social inclusion Social policies

When?

Tuesday, 24 November 2026

Where?

Dublin, Ireland

Event type

In-person

Organised by

The National Economic and Social Council of Ireland (NESC) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

The conference explores how social cohesion can be strengthened and protected in times of uncertainty.

Event background

The conference explores how social cohesion can be strengthened and protected in times of uncertainty, bringing together the findings of research and consultation undertaken by Ireland’s National Economic and Social Council (NESC), other National Economic and Social Councils and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Discussions focus on the challenges and opportunities facing European societies and how policymakers can work together to build a more inclusive and cohesive future.

Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of Social Policies at Eurofound contributes to the fourth session of the Conference, entitled Social Cohesion Over Time – Intergenerational Fairness, Foresight and Futures Thinking.

See:

Speakers

Massimiliano Mascherini

Head of Unit

Social policies research

Massimiliano Mascherini is Head of the Social Policies unit at Eurofound since October 2019. He joined Eurofound in 2009 as a research manager, designing and coordinating projects on youth employment, NEETs and gender equality. In 2017, he became a senior research manager and spearheaded new research on monitoring convergence in the EU. In addition, he led the conceptualisation of the 2026 European Quality of Life Survey. In 2025, he was awarded the Brendan Walsh prize for the best paper published in Economic and Social Review. Previously, he was scientific officer at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. He studied at the University of Florence, where he majored in actuarial and statistical sciences and attained a PhD in Applied Statistics. In 2014, he obtained a scientific qualification as Associate Professor of Social Statistics and Demography from the Italian Ministry of University and Research. He has been visiting fellow at the University of Sydney and at Aalborg University and visiting professor at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

See profile