Social exclusion consists of dynamic, multi-dimensional processes driven by unequal power relationships. These operate along and interact across four dimensions – cultural, economic, political and social – and at different levels, including individuals, groups, households, communities, countries and global regions. Exclusionary processes contribute to (health) inequalities by creating a continuum of inclusion/exclusion. This continuum is characterised by an unjust distribution of resources and unequal capabilities and rights required to create the conditions necessary to meet and exceed basic needs, to enable participatory and cohesive social systems, to value diversity, to guarantee peace and human rights and to sustain environmental systems.
The term ‘social exclusion’ should only be used when more precise and informative descriptors of the phenomena to be targeted, such as racism, are not available. This definition helps to shift the focus from apparently passive victims of exclusion towards the potential for the agency of groups and/or nations to actively mould and/or resist exclusionary processes.
In public debates, the roots of social exclusion and measures that are to be taken are contested and perceived in different ways – with either the primary focus on poverty, the moral delinquency of the excluded themselves or the lack of paid work.
Literature, on the contrary, converges on the idea that social exclusion extends beyond material deprivation. Social exclusion thus is understood as a structural, multidimensional, and cumulative concept and is seen as having an impact on, e.g. individuals and communities. It leads individuals to distance themselves from others and become dependent on those having power and resources. Social exclusion refers to a deficit in individual and collective capabilities, leading to marginalisation.
Thus, it is both a static condition and a dynamic process describing the inability of individuals or groups to fully participate in economic, social, political, and cultural life, preventing them from asserting their rights.
In EU policies, the terms social exclusion and social inclusion have played an increasingly important role since 1989, culminating in the Social Pillar of Rights (2017) and the EPSR Action Plan (2021). Social exclusion – as defined by the European Commission – is a consequence (of a series of problems affecting an individual or groups such as unemployment, discrimination, poor skills, low income, poor housing, high crime, ill-health or family breakdown). According to the EC, social exclusion is a result of mechanisms whereby individuals and groups are excluded from taking part in social exchanges, from the component practices and rights of social integration and of identity. Social exclusion creates deep and long-lasting problems for individuals, families, the economy, and society at large. It goes beyond participation in work – also being experienced in the fields of housing, education, health and access to services.
DICES conceptualizes social exclusion and social innovation (WP2) in order to lay the groundwork for the subsequent work packages that deal with social inclusion (WP3-WP5).
Popay, J., Escorel, S., Hernández, M., Johnston, H., Mathieson, J., Rispel, L. (2008). Understanding and tackling social exclusion. Final Report to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health from the Social Exclusion Knowledge Network. SEKN Final Report, Geneva, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/244919409_Understanding_and_tackling_social_exclusion
