The concept and measurement of social exclusion

Abstract

The concepts of social exclusion and inclusion are now firmly entrenched in both British and European government policy, as well as having increasingly wide currency outside the European Union (EU) in international agencies such as the International Labour Office (ILO), United Nations, UNESCO and the World Bank (Gore and Figueiredo, 1997; Estivill, 2003). This chapter focuses primarily on the deployment of ‘social exclusion’ in the United Kingdom, in the context of EU policy, although many of the issues have wider application. The first part of the chapter addresses the development of definitions and indicators of social exclusion at UK national and at EU levels, showing that the distinctively social aspects of social exclusion have not been at the centre of these debates. The second part of the chapter outlines the findings of the Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) Survey itself, whose unique feature is its direct attention to exclusion from social relations and patterns of sociability. Two key points emerge. First, poverty has a profound effect on some, though not all, aspects of social participation. An objective relationship can be demonstrated here, casting doubt on the significance of the distinction between chosen and enforced non-participation. Second, although paid work is correlated with increased social participation on some measures, there is tentative evidence that this is principally an indirect effect mediated by poverty, and that paid work itself may in some cases limit social inclusion. ‘Economic inactivity’ does not, in itself, necessarily lead to exclusion from social relations. These findings cast doubt on the emphasis on work that is central to both European and UK policy.