| dc.description.abstract | Background: One in three Dutch people provides care to someone from their direct social
environment with an illness or disability. One in ten of those informal caregivers feels
overburdened. While the recognition of informal caregivers is mandated in local policy, little
is known about how caregivers experience this recognition and how governmental initiatives
relate to their well-being. Besides this, the role of municipalities in shaping recognition
through policy remains underexplored. Drawing on Honneth’s theory of recognition and the
concept of governing through community, this study investigates how different forms of
recognition are perceived by informal caregivers. Research question: how do informal
caregivers experience emotional, social, and legal recognition, and how can these experiences
be understood in terms of governing through community? Methods: This mixed-methods
study combined a quantitative survey with semi-structured interviews with informal
caregivers and representatives from municipal support centres. The survey assessed
emotional recognition from care receivers and the social network, legal and social recognition
from municipalities, and caregiver well-being. Regression analysis was used to examine the
relationship between forms of recognition and happiness. The qualitative data explored
caregivers’ lived experiences of recognition and municipal perspectives on recognition
programs. Results: Emotional recognition was strongly associated with caregiver well-being.
Informal caregivers valued practical support and understanding more than verbal
appreciation. Social recognition from municipalities, such as public tokens of appreciation,
were appreciated and raised awareness, but were often perceived as symbolic when not
accompanied by structural support. Legal recognition through financial compensation was
appreciated but inconsistently available. Municipalities viewed recognition programs as
helpful in identifying caregivers and raising awareness, but identified challenges in reaching
diverse groups and ensuring equality across municipalities. Conclusion: recognition is a
multi-layered concept and cannot be felt through symbolic gestures alone. While emotional
recognition is central to caregiver well-being, structural and consistent support at the multiple
levels is essential to truly experience recognition. Governing through community places
significant responsibility on caregivers while offering limited support, leading to perceived
contradictions in policy. Future policy should prioritize equal and structural forms of
recognition across municipalities, and further research should include harder-to-reach
caregiver populations and employ more detailed measures of well-being. | |
