JCMS Journal of Common Market Studies · 2000 · 188 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesSocial PolicySociologyEuropean StudiesPolitical SociologySocial InequalityEuropean IntegrationEuropean PoliticsEuropean Social PolicyEuropean Union StudiesPovertySocial ExclusionEuropean Union PoliticsPolicy Agenda ChangePolicy Discourse AnalysisSocial DiscourseSocial Exclusion TheorySocial Policy DesignSocial Policy Governance
Social exclusion has become a central concept in European social policy and inequality debates, yet its precise definition remains unclear. The article examines how social exclusion has evolved in EU policy discourse to clarify its origins, functions, and dimensions, and proposes ways to strengthen the concept amid a less supportive policy climate. Critically, the article finds that social exclusion has helped keep inequality and poverty on the EU policy agenda.
In recent years the term ‘social exclusion’ has come to occupy a central place in the discussion of social policy and inequality in Europe. While the notion has acquired important strategic connotations, by stressing structural and cultural/social processes, the precise meaning of the term remains somewhat elusive. This article focuses on the reason for and the manner in which the notion of social exclusion has developed within the EU social policy discourse, aiming to provide a clearer understanding of its origins, functions and multiple dimensions. Whilst adopting a critical approach to the notion of social exclusion, the article suggests that the concept has played a positive role in keeping issues such as inequality and poverty on the policy agenda. The article also suggests possible ways in which social exclusion might be developed in a climate which has become less conducive, if not hostile, to an autonomous, activist EU social policy.