The case studies presented in this report were chosen so as to present a range of intervention approaches, target groups, geographic areas, community types, organisational functioning (including different types of government involvement), and objectives (including some where boosting connectedness was not the primary project goal). The case study selection process is summarised in Figure A A.1 and described in further detail below.
Promoting Social Connectedness Through Food
A longlist of potential case studies was first compiled through desktop research and consultation of national government experts. The search comprised analysis of food-related activities in national and sub-national social connection strategies (see Chapter 1), as well as a broad web and AI-assisted search using key words and phrases related to food-based activities such as “community kitchen” or “food bank”. Searches were conducted in multiple languages and relevant knowledge hubs and networks were also scanned (e.g. Food Action Cities).
Initiatives were shortlisted based on their intended contributions to social connectedness and broader well-being outcomes, as well as the credibility of the lead organisation and extent of co‑operation with public actors. Examples that involved national or local government actors (as a lead agency, funder, partner, or stakeholder) were prioritised in order to strengthen potential policy insights.
Examples with robust evidence of effectiveness and efficiency were prioritised where possible, although the availability of evaluation evidence was often limited, especially for programmes where improving social connections was an implicit, rather than explicit, aim. Previous OECD research has already highlighted the need for strengthening monitoring and evaluation activities regarding policy efforts to improve social connectedness and to better identify what works as it is a relatively new field of knowledge (OECD, 2025[1]). The potential scaleability and transferability of approaches to other contexts was also considered as one of the selection criteria, although robust assessments of these aspects fell outside the scope of this report.
The final selection was made to ensure coverage of OECD country examples in different world regions (Australasia, Europe, North America, South America, Southeast Asia) and to present a variety of intervention types and outcomes. The case study search revealed that community-level interventions are usually led and implemented by non-governmental actors in the non-profit and social economy sectors, with public sector actors providing funding and in-kind support in most instances. The selected case studies were thus also chosen to reflect a range of community implementation and public sector support models.
References
[1] OECD (2025), Social Connections and Loneliness in OECD Countries, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/6df2d6a0-en.