Esade Publications

Trust is a highly valuable asset for all institutions, including those in the third sector, as they depend on it to gain legitimacy and support, collaborate with other actors, and advance their organizational goals and missions. In a context of a global “trust deficit,” where do NGOs stand?

Many social organizations have not, until now, paid enough attention to strengthening society’s trust in them, assuming that their purposes alone made them ethical and trustworthy. However, in today’s highly polarized environment, this is no longer sufficient. NGOs need to develop active and intentional strategies to promote and manage the trust their stakeholders place in them, in order to reinforce their legitimacy and reputation.

This publication analyses the trends affecting the trust placed in NGOs, as well as the main factors involved in building it, identifying the actions and areas that must be addressed to strengthen their legitimacy and relevance as a sector.

MORE INFO

The report “Shared Exclusion. Living in a Room in a Context of Residential and Social Exclusion”, produced by the  Observatorio de la Vivienda Digna del Instituto de Innovación Social de Esade and the Observatorio de la Realidad Social de Cáritas Diocesana de Barcelona, with the participation of the Observatorio de la Realidad Social de Cáritas Catalunya, addresses a growing issue in Catalonia: the subletting of rooms without a contract and under precarious conditions. This phenomenon, which mainly affects people in vulnerable situations such as single-parent families, young people, and migrants, highlights the shortcomings of the housing system and structural social exclusion.

For many, this type of housing—initially seen as a temporary solution—has become a permanent reality marked by insecurity, instability, and barriers to accessing essential services such as healthcare, education, and social services. The report shows how forced cohabitation dynamics, lack of privacy, and impacts on mental health severely affect individuals, especially children and adolescents living under these conditions.

Through in-depth interviews and focus groups, the publication not only gives voice to those who face this situation but also identifies proposals for change. Among the solutions put forward are the expansion of public housing, the regulation of the rental market, and the strengthening of policies that guarantee basic rights such as registration in the municipal census.
This report seeks to raise awareness of an urgent reality and proposes concrete actions to address a housing crisis that affects the dignity and well-being of thousands of people.

MORE INFO

The report “Vivienda digna, más allá de un techo. Indicador del Observatorio de la Vivienda Digna” carried out by the Observatorio de la Vivienda Digna de Esade, an initiative of Esade’s Institute for Social Innovation, addresses the development of an indicator of decent housing with the aim of assessing housing conditions in urban areas.

The purpose of this report is to provide a practical and effective tool to diagnose and highlight precarious housing conditions. Having a roof is not enough to guarantee the right to decent housing. A person’s ability to remain in their home can be compromised by legal insecurity or by the failure to meet basic standards necessary to ensure the well-being of its occupants. Housing inadequacy may stem from the physical deterioration of the building, the changing needs of its residents, issues associated with self-construction, or the occupation of vacant properties—especially in contexts where housing systems fail to ensure dignified living conditions.

Through in-depth interviews, forums, and focus groups, the report examines the main housing challenges, offering an essential perspective to enrich the debate and to better guide the actions needed from public administrations, companies, social organizations, and society at large to address this issue.

This indicator seeks to move toward a more equitable society by ensuring that homes meet the necessary standards for individual and collective well-being.

MORE INFO

The Public Management Lab (PML) is a space for analysis and reflection on public services, promoted by EsadeGov, with the aim of offering innovative and efficient responses to the challenges faced by public companies and administrations. This dossier brings together the first results of the PML, focusing on the structural dynamics of the public sector in Catalonia.

The document is structured around three main areas: external challenges (climate change, demographic transformations, and digitalization); internal challenges and the professionalization of public management, based on a study by Professor Francisco Longo; and the strategic reflections derived from the first plenary sessions. With a comparative and international perspective, the PML promotes collaborative learning that helps build a more efficient, innovative, and citizen-oriented public sector.

MORE INFO