Social Inclusion Policies Research Articles

New Public Institutional Forms and Social Innovation in Urban Governance: Insights from the “Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics” (MONUM) in Boston

This paper investigates how public sector institutions change their form and approach to achieve a socially innovative urban governance. The “Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics” (MONUM) in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) proves a representative case of innovation in the public sector. As a new type of government agency, it is essentially an open innovation lab dedicated to innovative evidence-based policymaking. Following a new dynamic organizational pattern in urban governance, MONUM is conducive to project-oriented social innovation practices and horizontal multi-sectoral collaboration among the three societal sectors: public, private, and civil. Its results suggest that first, the peculiarity of MONUM lies in its hybrid and boundary-blurring nature. Second, new institutional forms that experiment with urban governance can rely on multi-sectoral collaboration. Third, MONUM has experimented with a systemic approach to social innovation following the “design thinking theory.” The MONUM case can contribute to the current debate in Europe on the need to harmonize EU policies for an effective social inclusion by promoting the application of the place-sensitive approach.

Experiences of rural life among community-dwelling older men with dementia and their implications for social inclusion.

Current international dementia care policies focus on creating 'dementia-friendly' communities that aim to support the social inclusion of people with dementia. Although it is known that the geo-socio-cultural rural environment can impact on the experiences of people living with dementia, this can be overlooked when exploring and implementing social inclusion policies. This paper addresses an important gap in the literature by exploring the perceptions of daily life for older men (65+ years) living with dementia in three rural areas of England. Open interviews were conducted with 17 rural-dwelling older men with dementia and the data elicited were analysed thematically to construct two higher order themes. The first focussed on 'Cracking on with life in a rural idyll' and highlighted the benefits of rural living including the pleasant, natural environment, supportive informal networks and some accessible formal dementia support. The second presented 'A challenge to the idyll' and outlined difficulties the men faced including a lack of dementia awareness amongst their family and the wider rural community as well as the physical and internal motivational barriers associated with the rural landscape and their dementia. The findings were interpreted through a lens of social inclusion and demonstrated how the geo-socio-cultural rural environment both enabled and inhibited facets of the men's experiences of life in their communities. Based on these findings, the paper offers recommendations for practitioners, researchers and policy makers wishing to promote social inclusion in rural-dwelling older men living with dementia.

Gênero, sexualidade e biopolítica: Processos de gestão da vida em políticas contemporâneas de inclusão social

Este artigo examina a relação entre gênero, sexualidade e biopolítica para apontar alguns de seus desdobramentos e efeitos nas formas de gestão da vida e de condução da conduta de mulheres e de homens nas chamadas “políticas públicas de inclusão social”. A análise qualitativa articula resultados de um conjunto de estudos desenvolvidos por um grupo de pesquisa no Rio Grande do Sul/Brasil. O aporte teórico advém dos estudos de gênero pós-estruturalistas, dos estudos queere dos estudos foucaultianos. Com esta análise, pode-se concluir que, em nome da inclusão social, as políticas públicas acabam por intervir e regular a vida de determinados sujeitos/grupos a custos mínimos para garantir a diminuição dos riscos sociais e maiores níveis de segurança para a população. Argumenta-se que gênero e sexualidade têm sido mobilizados para criar e fortalecer algumas formas de regulação que devem tornar mulheres e homens capazes de agir sobre si e sobre os outros, mantendo-se participantes e buscando soluções para problemas sociais contemporâneos.

THE BARRIERS TO SOCIAL INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

The social inclusion of people with disabilities is a current area of research. This group of people continues to be marginalized and excluded from the society’s life. This situation is determined by the high level of discrimination and stigmatization, unequal opportunities, physical and attitudinal barriers that predominate in society. More than one billion people with disabilities worldwide, accounting 15% of the world's population, face social inequality and the authorities' limited capacities to respond to the needs of the persons with disabilities. In the European Union, about 80 million people live with disabilities and in the Republic of Moldova about 182.0 thousand people, which represent about 5% of the country's population. This study aims to analyse barriers to social inclusion of people with disabilities from the Republic of Moldova from the perspective of social roles valorisation. The sociological research methods used in this study are statistical data analysis, documentary analysis; sociological survey based on the questionnaire; the focus group; in-depth interview and sociological observation. The main barriers to social inclusion faced by people with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova are: low living standards compared to the general population, non-observance of the general accessibility principle, limited access to social services, education, health and very low participation of people with disabilities on the labour market. Analysis of social inclusion issues identified through research on the views of people with disabilities, service providers and experts will help strengthen the mechanisms for evaluating, monitoring and improving social inclusion policies.

Condicionantes sociais e trajetórias singulares: habitus como chave analítica em processos de constituição de elos de pertença e fronteiras simbólicas

O artigo é parte de uma pesquisa de campo realizada em um bairro da perferia de Santo André, Grande São Paulo, e discute os sentidos de pertença, ou não, à classe média, por parte dos moradores, frente às políticas de inclusão social implementadas na primeira década dos anos 2000, pelos governos estadual e federal. Em um segundo momento enfatiza as fronteiras simbólicas estabelecidas por um grupo de famílias recém transferidas de área de favela para um condomínio de prédios entregue como parte da política habitacional do estado de São Paulo, problematizando a preponderância das singularidades das trajetórias individuais – que perpassam múltiplos espaços sociais na contemporaneidade – quando se opera com o conceito de habitus.

Social inclusion in the Irish health context: Policy and stakeholder mapping

Social inclusion is a complex concept, and its relationship to health has been widely debated. Across the European Union, there has been a move towards policies promoting social inclusion. Despite this, there has been a limited analysis of how the concept of social inclusion is operationalised in Irish policy. The aim of this research was to document and map the development of social inclusion policies in the Irish context. The objectives were to identify all the relevant stakeholders and policies and to describe the relevance of social inclusion policy in the domain of health. We utilised a widely recognised policy analysis framework. We conducted a systematic search of relevant government policies, grey literature databases, statutory agencies and stakeholders in the Irish context since 2006. The researchers initially identified a total of 954 results. The relevant stakeholders discovered were the research community, service providers, civil society organisations, policy makers and government, philanthropists and socially excluded people. Most policy documents included refer to one of two national policies created to drive social inclusion activities. Social inclusion was being operationalised in the context of health, but the relationship between policymakers and those planning and providing services was unclear. The concept of social inclusion was being operationalised in the Irish policy context. A multitude of stakeholders were involved, reflecting the wide reach of this concept in society. Social inclusion was a particularly important concept in the realm of health, and in the primary care domain in particular.

Examining social inclusion among pedestrian plans in Canada

Canadian policymakers promote walking to meet several goals related to transportation demand management, public health, and economic welfare. However, unequal pedestrian outcomes stubbornly persist across Canadian society. Recent debates at the intersection of social inclusion and transportation policy underscore the responsibility of stakeholders to address such inequalities and promote social engagement among excluded groups in planning procedures and their outcomes. Pedestrian plans are rare opportunities to strategize across the disparate stakeholders impacting walkable spaces—private developers, transit, parks and recreation—yet the social inclusion measures of pedestrian plans remain understudied in Canada and elsewhere. We examine pedestrian plans from 27 municipalities across the country using a social inclusion framework with participation and policy criteria. Results include that Canadian pedestrian plans fall short in promoting social inclusion with infrequent opportunities for collaborative contributions by the public; lacklustre outreach to socially‐excluded stakeholder representatives; and oversight of socioeconomic groups among accountable policies. We discuss recommendations to augment social inclusion in plan development such that socially‐excluded groups can more substantially benefit from accessible and safe walkable spaces conducive to personal well‐being and engagement with society.

What difference does the context of activation make? Challenges and innovations in the Italian and Norwegian local welfare

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of trans-contextual processes of implementation and governance in the transformation of social and labor inclusion policies in Norway and Italy, including research and practical implications.Design/methodology/approachIt combines qualitative case studies with a framework that makes them comparable, namely, the Logics of Welfare.FindingsDifferences and similarities are related to regimes’ path dependencies as well as interactions between bottom-up and top-down dynamics of implementation. Their shifting logics and patterns enhance or hinder the local actors’ agency and enactment, and the systems’ capability to reduce the risks of exclusion. Results and the ways in which they are achieved are different, although in both cases the inclusion in the labor market remains a contended issue.Research limitations/implicationsThe comparison is based on two case studies. A further development of in-depth comparative analysis may improve our understanding of the role of contexts in the implementation of policy reforms.Practical implicationsReforms have limited capacity to achieve the expected outcomes, including due to a limited understanding of context-based factors. Practitioners and policy makers should take greater account of the latter and their active role in modifying them.Social implicationsThis paper provides a deeper comprehension on how policy practices affect citizens’ hard pathways toward inclusion.Originality/valueThrough a comparative context-based analysis, the paper shows important differences, similarities and shifting modes of operation in activation policy as well as the role of socio-organizational contexts and bottom-up mobilizations. It looks forward to the possible added value derived from a wider testing of such approaches.

The SOLA Model: A Theory-Based Approach to Social Quality and Social Sustainability

Sustainability is frequently discussed with reference to the “3-pillar” model distinguishing ecological, economic and social sustainability. However, social sustainability is treated as a residual category without adequate theoretical conceptualization. As a consequence, we find a wealth of approaches and models proposing a wide range of social indicators on individual and collective levels, both subjective and objective. While this diversity is fruitful given the range of social sciences involved and the diversity of social issues and social policies, communication between approaches and comparison of results is hindered by the lack of a common framework. The SOLA model offers an interdisciplinary, multi-level and comprehensive framework or meta-model structured by five modules (human ecology, 3 levels of social systems, ethical quality standards) which conceives social sustainability, social quality and quality of life in terms of evolving systems theory. We argue that the meta-model can facilitate systematic comparison of different approaches, bridge the gap toward natural and engineering sciences, and guide the development of social indicators. More specifically, two social indicator profiles are proposed to capture the divergence between two competing approaches to social sustainability: the social quality approach and the social capital approach. The focus in this article is on the presentation of the model and on conceptual issues of social sustainability and social quality. The model is based on an extensive review of alternative approaches. It is empirically validated in quality of life research in social and health care, and applied in on-going research on inclusive social policy.

Measuring vulnerability of asylum seekers and refugees in Italy

ABSTRACT In recent years, a growing number of forced migrants have travelled to Italy across the Mediterranean Sea. While the number of new arrivals has diminished since 2017, the Italian reception system still struggles to process the high number of applications for international protection. A significant proportion of forced migrants who arrive in Italy end up living in informal settlements, such as occupied buildings, shacks, containers and tented camps. In this study, we assess the vulnerability of asylum seekers and refugees living in informal settlements in Italy, using data from the first nationally representative survey of this population. We compare a count measure of vulnerability with a new approach based on latent trait analysis, which accounts for measurement error and correlation between indicators. This analysis shows that forced migrants from Asia are more vulnerable than those from Africa, and that vulnerability is consistently lower in informal settlements in the regions of Lazio and Piedmont, and consistently higher in Apulia. However, other factors predicting vulnerability often change depending upon the way in which vulnerability is measured. Our findings have implications for the design of social protection and inclusion policies, as well as future research that measures vulnerability.

Subjetividades de beneficiárias do Programa Bolsa Família em contexto rural

This article aims to present a brief theoretical review and some partial results of a Master's dissertation held at the PPG in Psychology of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). With qualitative design, the study aims to analyze the discursive practices that constitute the modes of subjectivation of women beneficiaries of the Bolsa Familia Program (PBF) in rural context of the Zona da Mata Sul Pernambucana. The theoretical references consider the approach of governmentality, understanding that practices of social inclusion, such as the PBF, modify the subjectivities of its beneficiaries. The study population consists of a non-probabilistic sample of six women. Data collection was performed through a semi-structured interview and data analysis is based on the perspective of critical discourse analysis. The results obtained question the potential of the PBF to generate changes in gender relations. Finally, we discuss the evolution of the public policies of social inclusion in the brazilian society, opening perspectives for new studies on the changes experienced by the beneficiary population in the rural context of Pernambuco.

Negotiating universalism in India and Latin America: Fiscal decentralization, subnational politics and social outcomes

ABSTRACTThis is the introductory paper for a special issue which focuses on an exploration of how vertical inter-governmental political and fiscal bargains and horizontal variation in political, social and economic conditions across regions contribute to or undermine the provision of inclusive and sustainable social policies at the subnational level in Latin America and India. The papers incorporate both federal, as well as decentralized unitary states, pointing to common political tensions across unitary and federal settings despite the typically greater institutionalization of regional autonomy in federal countries. Jointly, the papers examine the territorial dimension of universalism and explore, in greater and empirical detail, the causal links between fiscal transfers, social policies and outcomes, highlighting the political dynamics that shape fiscal decentralization reforms and the welfare state. This introductory essay reviews existing scholarship, and highlights the contribution of the special issue to understanding these issues beyond OECD contexts.

La questione dei senza dimora. Una prospettiva archeologica

The article deals with the theme of homelessness according to an archaeological per-spective. Intrinsically linked to the phenomenon the homeless presents implications which straight interrogate the system within which they are, time by time, interpretated. Using spacial, cultural and economical elements, the article considers the homeless as a favoured urban sensor offering an interpretation of the phenomenon, between policies of social inclusion and public order, in a broader perspective that questions the system that has generated it.

‘You have a child who will call you “mama” ’: understanding adolescent pregnancy in South Sudan

ABSTRACTBackground: Pregnancy amongst adolescent girls is common in many parts of the world. The dominant discourse in public health unquestioningly paints this as a problem; it does not pay sufficient attention to girls’ views.Objectives: This paper presents a critical account of adolescent South Sudanese girls’ reasons for and explanations of childbearing. It discusses their experiences and views on childbearing and attempts to explain their reproductive choices and actions, in context.Methods: The study draws upon 24 interviews with adolescent boys, girls and parents from Wau, South Sudan. Data was analysed using the framework analysis approach.Results: Three interacting themes within which adolescent girls framed their views and decisions about childbearing are identified. The local society places high value on motherhood – adolescent girls’ desires to become mothers is a reproduction of this social norm. Girls linked having a child to the possibility of making one’s ‘own home’; in the difficult and uncertain context they lived in, for many girls, having a child (and making a home) appeared as one of the few means to be happy. In making the decision to bear a child, the girls navigated multiple dilemmas and trade-offs between an unpromising present and an uncertain future. Bearing a child and making one’s ‘own home’ was seen as a way to exit into the world of adults, and as a strategy towards achieving security and stability.Conclusions: Instead of simplistically problematizing adolescent pregnancy in South Sudan, it is important to take into account the experiences and standpoints of adolescent girls, and to recognize that in choosing to become mothers, they are in many ways exercising agency despite being severely constrained by complex, insecure and unfair social circumstances. We argue that such an approach will allow the development of more appropriate, realistic and inclusive health and social policies and programs.

Reviewing the relationship between social policy and the contemporary populist radical right: welfare chauvinism, welfare nation state and social citizenship

AbstractWhilst populism has a long-standing relationship with social policy, the recent emergence of radical right populism as a considerable political force across Europe and beyond compels us to think further about this relationship. The aim of this review essay is to bring together literature on populism, welfare chauvinism and social citizenship in order to highlight the role social policy plays in the rhetoric and political approach of the populist radical right. This essay reviews, how, by developing artificial distinctions between culturally homogeneous ‘people’ and corrupt ‘elite’, the populist radical right generates interpretations of social citizenship that confers social rights based on of cultural or ethnic belonging, rather than as a matter of right. By simplifying the nature of complex social policy problems, radical right populism further problematises the mainstream social policy agenda. Consequently, radical right populism will continue to present a significant challenge to progressive and inclusive social policy.

De la pobreza a la exclusión social. Nuevos retos para las políticas públicas

El presente artículo pretende abordar el tema de la exclusión social. Para ello, se estructura en tres grandes bloques. En el primero, el bloque conceptual, se discuten el potencial y los límites del concepto de exclusión social y el conjunto de factores que operan como motores generadores de procesos de exclusión. En el segundo, el bloque de vocación más descriptiva, se exponen algunos datos sobre el alcance y los perfiles que toman hoy de forma predominante los procesos de exclusión. En el tercero, el bloque de las políticas, se muestra el abanico de respuestas institucionales a escala europea y española. Se aprecia aquí el sesgo de las políticas hacia el frente de la pobreza, y las dificultades para articular verdaderas estrategias públicas para la inclusión social. El artículo se completa con algunos elementos de propuesta, y unas reflexiones finales de síntesis y conclusión.

Editorial Revista Ciencias Administrativas N°13

Un nuevo número de la Revista de Ciencias Administrativas constituye un motivo de satisfacción no solo para sus editores, sino especialmente para quienes publican en ella, pues han debido seguir un largo proceso desde el envío de sus artículos hasta el momento de ver impreso el fruto de su trabajo.
 Vivimos, según Zygmun Bauman, en un mundo saturado de información. Hay muchos autores que, como resultado de su labor, aportan a un universo cada vez mayor de información que espera ser publicada. Allí reside el mayor reto del editor ante la publicación de cada número: ser expeditivos y, a la vez, asegurar la calidad exigida por los estándares internacionales.
 Para el número 13 de nuestra revista hemos seleccionado un conjunto de ocho artículos cuyos autores provienen de cuatro países (Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador y México). Cabe destacar que todos los autores son docentes universitarios y en dos casos, además, investigadores del CONICET. A continuación, haremos una breve presentación de los artículos.
 Dentro de la categoría artículos de investigación se incluyen cuatro trabajos titulados: “Modelo para la implementación de un sistema integrado de gestión de la calidad y ambiental en una empresa siderúrgica”, “La estructura de financiamiento de las Pymes de videojuegos de Argentina”, “Disposición a pagar por la conservación de los recursos naturales del Parque Nacional Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyoti - México” y “Las políticas públicas de inclusión social en la Argentina 2013-2015. ¿Desde la economía social hacia una economía civil?”.
 El número incluye además dos ensayos, a saber: “Revisión bibliográfica sobre sustentabilidad y ética organizacional. Actores relevantes” y “Las meta decisiones y la teoría de la racionalidad instrumental mínima”.
 Completan la edición un artículo de divulgación titulado “Realidad de las estructuras organizacionales en el sector público ecuatoriano 2007-2016” y un reseña sobre la primera tesis del Doctorado en Ciencias de la Administración titulada “Gestión de modelo de desinstitucionalización de adultos con alteraciones mentales en el sistema público de la provincia de Buenos Aires.”
 Esperamos que estos artículos contribuyan a una mayor comprensión de las problemáticas que abordan y contribuyan a la tarea de difundir conocimiento relevante y pertinente en un universo saturado de información.
 El Comité ejecutivo

LANGUAGE AS SOCIAL PRACTICE: DECONSTRUCTING BOUNDARIES IN INTERCULTURAL BILINGUAL EDUCATION

ABSTRACT Although Peru’s Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) program has been attempting to pursue new directions, it still carries many ideologies and practices that have defined it since it started half a century ago. In this article, I discuss the way some of these ideologies and practices related to language are reproduced in a preservice teacher training program in one of the capital city’s private universities, which implements a national policy of social inclusion for Quechua-speaking youth from vulnerable contexts. On the basis of diverse dichotomies (L1/L2, Spanish use/Quechua use, Spanish literacy practices/Quechua literacy practices, Quechua speaker/Spanish speaker), the program produces two types of hierarchized subjectivities: one related to the subject educated in Quechua and another related to the subject educated in Spanish, both coming from a conception of languages as discrete codes that go together with fixed ethnolinguistic groups and bounded cultural practices (GARCÍA et al., 2017). In the context of new sociocultural dynamics and bilingualisms, young students in the program subvert these divisions and begin to trace new paths for IBE and Quechua in Perú.

The effects of chronic non-communicable diseases on labour force outcomes: Quasi experimental evidence from Sri Lanka

We investigate the effects of experiencing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on labour force outcomes of working-age individuals and their households in Sri Lanka. For this, quasi-experimental evidence, including average treatment effects on those treated (ATT), are generated by using the self-reported health survey of the labour force of Sri Lanka. According to the analysis, individuals with at least one NCD account for approximately 19.15% of the working-age population. On average, employment probability, labour supply, and labour earnings of them are significantly lower than those of non-NCD individuals by 9.5% (ATT=−0.102, P < 0.001), 44.6% (ATT=−0.590, P < 0.001), and 47.9% (ATT=−0.652, P < 0.001), respectively. The negative impacts on labour force outcomes are notably larger in the cases of paralysis and mental illness. These NCDs reduce individual labour supply by more than 80% and labour earnings by more than 90%. The employment probability of individuals with paralysis and mental illnesses is also relatively lower by more than 60%. Apart from these individual-level effects, the paper provides evidence on how labour force outcomes at the household level are influenced by NCDs. Our findings demonstrate that the association between individuals’ NCD-prevalence and labour force outcomes is relatively stronger for males, informal sector employees, and elderly people. The results suggest several social inclusion policies.

Social inclusion for whom and towards what end? A critical discourse analysis of youth and sport policies in Turkey

ABSTRACTThis article examines the social inclusion policy strategies of the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sport (MYS). Using a critical discourse analysis, based on Norman Fairclough’s work (2012), the aim is to analyse the discourses used within policy-related documents regarding social inclusion, youth, and sport. In order to achieve this objective, we analysed 15 key documents, including annual activity reports, national youth and sport policy documents, and strategic plans produced by the Ministry. Findings revealed that the dominant discourses about young people seem to be embedded within neoliberal and neoconservative ideologies in which depoliticised notions of ‘employment/apprenticeship’ and ‘the family’ are put forward as solutions for the social inclusion of young people. However, such a discourse risks further sustaining the social exclusion of youth, denying their full citizenship.