There is a long tradition of neighbourhood based policies in the Netherlands, but it is only since the 1990s that there has been a strong focus on changing the population composition. The idea is that a more mixed population in the neighbourhood will enhance the opportunities for social mobility amongst residents. While mix was initially mainly defined in terms of income, the negative effects of ethnic segregation came more and more to the fore since the beginning of the 21st century. Residential concentration of ethnic minorities is seen as major impediment to their integration by the national government. Nevertheless, the measures that are taken to counter segregation are not so much focused on ethnic mix (due to anti-discrimination legislation), but on income mix. In this paper we aim to answer the following questions: 1) What are the empirical underpinnings for a policy that is focused on countering segregation? 2) Do the instruments that are brought into action against segregation lead to more income and ethnic mix? 3) Are there indications that mixing indeed leads to positive results in terms of social mobility and integration of ethnic minorities?
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