Social and political participation and inclusion

Abstract

Social and political participation is significant for social inclusion because deprivation is more than income poverty. The ability to take part in decisions that affect lives is one way of ensuring inclusion in society. Political engagement and social interaction are two of the four types of activity people should be able to participate in for them to be considered as socially included in the definition of social exclusion developed by the ESRC's Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE). This chapter aims to investigate the trends in political and social participation since 1997. It also aims to assess the impact of New Labour's attempt to increase the quantity and the quality of citizenship participation. The chapter also examines the formal ways of participating in the political decision making process (such as voting) and the informal ways people influence and affect decisions that have repercussions on the nature, level, and quality of public services they receive. The chapter also looks at social participation or the people's involvement in the activities of the communities or in social benefits such as volunteering or community organising.