Abstract

Income Security in the Context of Social Inclusion/Exclusion

Jean Lock Kunz (Ph.D)
Policy Research Initiative

Income (or the lack thereof) has been a staple in research on social exclusion. Indeed, poverty, as defined in low-income, has been regarded as synonymous to social exclusion. As such, policy response to exclusion has generally been income-oriented as in the forms of income redistribution, employment insurance, and social assistance. Granted, in a democratic and market-driven society, the lack of money prevents individuals from participating fully in the society and economy. However, income support measures are not enough to address the issue of social exclusion. To paraphrase Confucius, give the man some fish, you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish, you feed him for life.

The social inclusion/exclusion discourse however tends to see low-income as one dimension of exclusion and therefore needs to be examined in relation to other dimensions of social exclusion such as employment outcomes, social interaction, and political participation. Given the growing interest in social inclusion/exclusion research, it will be useful to establish a commonly agreed-upon indicators and measurement. This presentation describes a project currently underway to develop typologies linking poverty with other dimensions of social exclusion.

There is good evidence showing that certain population groups are more vulnerable to low-income than are others. In Canada, being Aboriginal, lone parent, disabled, or recent immigrant are all considered to be risk factors. Lack of access to labour market clearly contributes to poverty among these groups. Reducing barriers to employment that are unique to these vulnerable groups is a starting point. More importantly, the intersections of different risk factors on labour market outcomes should be taken into consideration.

Social capital is another dimension of exclusion that deserves more attention in relation to low-income. Lack of social support could hinder social and economic participation.

Finally, there is a scarcity of research on the ‘agents’ of exclusion. To foster full social participation, it is not sufficient to know who are excluded. A key research question should be: who is doing the excluding? To do so requires innovations in research and in policy thinking.

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