Poverty and Social Exclusion Indicators in the European Union: The Role of Non-Monetary Deprivation Indicators

Abstract

In this chapter, we outline the way in which non-monetary deprivation indicators have come to play an important role in capturing poverty and social exclusion across the European Union (EU) and progress in addressing it. The development of poverty and social exclusion monitoring in the EU must be seen in the light of the evolution of the broader EU social policy context. In deciding in 2000 that social policy should be a distinct focus of attention for EU cooperation, the European Council also agreed on the process by which this should be implemented. This was to be done through the open method of coordination (OMC) with key elements being the agreement of common objectives in relation to poverty and social exclusion and the adoption of common indicators to monitor progress. In this chapter, we wish to stress that the choices we make in relation to the conceptualisation and measurement of poverty and social exclusion have important implications in relation to our ability to formulate and address policy issues. In particular, they affect what we consider to be a crucial ability to address national and EU issues in relation to poverty and inequality and the manner in which they are related and our capacity to illuminate the underlying processes.