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Social Exclusion - The Concept and Application to Developing Countries

Author: Ruhi Saith
Date: 2007
Size: 16 pages

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Summary

What is social exclusion? How has the concept been applied in developing countries? This chapter from the book Defining Poverty in the Developing World explains that in developed countries social exclusion has been defined in relation to the welfare state and formal employment. Attempts to adapt the concept for the developing world have led to the repetition and relabelling of earlier poverty studies. Rather than trying to transplant the concept, therefore, elements such as its helpful focus on process could be incorporated into existing frameworks.

Social exclusion refers to a state of exclusion from the ‘normal’ activities of society. The concept involves consideration of social relationships and of people’s opportunities to alter their situation. The social exclusion approach differs from monetary definitions of poverty because it is:

• Multidimensional, and involves appreciating the connections between different dimensions of exclusion
• Relational, examining the resources of the community, not just of the individual or household
• Relative, taking into account social context
• Dynamic, examining change over long time-frames
• Process-oriented, examining institutions and their role in the processes that cause poverty

Research studies indicate that in industrialised countries, patterns of social integration are institutionalised and fairly clearly defined. In developing countries, however, defining what is ‘normal’ and therefore what is outside accepted norms is more complicated. The absence of a welfare state and formal labour market make the use of European criteria for exclusion problematic.

Attempts to modify ‘social exclusion’ criteria for use in developing countries have taken two approaches: using a predetermined set of criteria such as political rights or basic welfare; or classifying a group as being socially excluded (such as India’s scheduled castes) followed by an investigation of the dimensions of exclusion they face and the processes involved. Most of the research in both of these categories, however, is similar to earlier multidimensional poverty studies. Findings include the following:

• Concepts have been relabelled: ‘Landlessness’ is now examined in terms of ‘exclusion from land’, for example; access to services has become exclusion from basic rights or capabilities; and monetary poverty is ‘exclusion due to poverty’.
• The concept of social exclusion seems to have played a role in reopening old debates and discussions in developing countries under new terminology.
• It helps shift the emphasis from assessing outcomes to examining processes.
• Common ground in the analysis of social exclusion in the North and South is the increasing emphasis placed on ‘social capital’ or social networks.
• In developing countries, concepts related to capabilities, basic needs, risk aversion, vulnerability and sustainable livelihoods have emerged.

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Source: Saith, R., 2007, 'Social Exclusion: The Concept and Application to Developing Countries' in Stewart, F., Saith, R. and Harriss-White, B., (eds.), Defining Poverty in the Developing World, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 75-90.
Organisation: Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, http://www.palgrave.com/