Understanding social inclusion and exclusion have an impact on how programs and services are delivered to meet a wide range of client needs. As a result, the concepts of diversity and social inclusion have become critical to the evaluation of programs for governmental and community organizations.
Implications for community development
Community as multiple dimensions
It was found that many community projects emphasized participatory processes. The fact that participation depends on many variables at the community level and that its practice is intimately linked with exclusion and power confirms the need for an analysis on whether and how the structures of participatory projects include/protect/secure the interests of poor people.
As Cooke and Kothari (2001) pointed out that we might see the community as the site of both solidarity and conflict, shifting alliances, power and social structures. Unlimited faith in participation as an empowering tool is very often driven by a misunderstanding of the nature of communities and a neglect of livelihood strategies at the community level. Communities are often little more than a mere juxtaposition of individuals with divergent interests, or households with unrelated livelihood strategies.
A diversity perspective would recognize that some groups might be unable to, or unwilling to participate themselves, and to work through representative structures, while others may choose to be different or to spurn mainstream development trajectories altogether (Beall, 1997). In this case,the task is not to impose participation on unwilling community members but to identify the factors that exclude people when they actively seek to participate.
Social exclusion as multiple dimensions
Social exclusion refers to the state of multiple deprivation or lack of participation in key aspects of society (Hills et al, 2002), but also to the processes leading to it. The concept encompasses the multidimensional aspects of poverty, from cash income to a wide range of indicators of deprivation or inability to participate in contemporary society. The focus suggested by social exclusion is on the processes that generate exclusion or inclusion and on the social factors that combine and interact to reduce social exclusion.
Taking Social exclusion as a multifaceted process, participation and, reciprocally, non-participation operate through the multiple identities borne by community members as economic but also political, cultural or social agents with varying capital and capabilities. The emphasis should be on the different variables that may hamper participation and on the dynamic processes that lead to exclusion from participation.
It was found that many community projects emphasized participatory processes. The fact that participation depends on many variables at the community level and that its practice is intimately linked with exclusion and power confirms the need for an analysis on whether and how the structures of participatory projects include/protect/secure the interests of poor people.
As Cooke and Kothari (2001) pointed out that we might see the community as the site of both solidarity and conflict, shifting alliances, power and social structures. Unlimited faith in participation as an empowering tool is very often driven by a misunderstanding of the nature of communities and a neglect of livelihood strategies at the community level. Communities are often little more than a mere juxtaposition of individuals with divergent interests, or households with unrelated livelihood strategies.
A diversity perspective would recognize that some groups might be unable to, or unwilling to participate themselves, and to work through representative structures, while others may choose to be different or to spurn mainstream development trajectories altogether (Beall, 1997). In this case,the task is not to impose participation on unwilling community members but to identify the factors that exclude people when they actively seek to participate.
Social exclusion as multiple dimensions
Social exclusion refers to the state of multiple deprivation or lack of participation in key aspects of society (Hills et al, 2002), but also to the processes leading to it. The concept encompasses the multidimensional aspects of poverty, from cash income to a wide range of indicators of deprivation or inability to participate in contemporary society. The focus suggested by social exclusion is on the processes that generate exclusion or inclusion and on the social factors that combine and interact to reduce social exclusion.
Taking Social exclusion as a multifaceted process, participation and, reciprocally, non-participation operate through the multiple identities borne by community members as economic but also political, cultural or social agents with varying capital and capabilities. The emphasis should be on the different variables that may hamper participation and on the dynamic processes that lead to exclusion from participation.
relevancy for immigrant community
While taking human and financial capital, professional skills and social/cultural vitality into consideration, immigrant populations have faced challenges to integration as measured by such key social indicators as labor market participation, unemployment, ability to translate human capital into comparable employment and income, levels of poverty, health care utilization, and contact with the criminal justice system. As a result, they became subject to spatial segregation and exclusion to ethnic enclaves.
As social exclusion is experienced in multiple dimensions, individuals and communities who are structurally excluded from the labor market are often also marginalized in terms of adequate housing, education, healthcare and social services.
Derouin (2003) pointed out that there is a link between exclusion and social capital. For the immigrant community study, the communities with poor relations between host communities and newcomers will encourage intro-ethnic networks as a survival stratagem. However, some communities vary in terms of the quality of the networks they offer their members.
As social exclusion is experienced in multiple dimensions, individuals and communities who are structurally excluded from the labor market are often also marginalized in terms of adequate housing, education, healthcare and social services.
Derouin (2003) pointed out that there is a link between exclusion and social capital. For the immigrant community study, the communities with poor relations between host communities and newcomers will encourage intro-ethnic networks as a survival stratagem. However, some communities vary in terms of the quality of the networks they offer their members.