Poverty and Social Inclusion
Poverty and Social Inclusion
Course: European Social Policy
Seminar Leader: Milena Jabůrková
Date: 31. 3. 2008
Group: C4
Members of the group: Fidlerová Tereza, Kellnerová Eva, Krčmařová
Martina, Liška Vít, Makovská Markéta,
Zaviska Claudia
Content
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Definitions of poverty
Poverty measurement
Causes and conditions of poverty
Social inclusion
Poverty in the EU
Poverty in the Czech Republic
Definitions of Poverty
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Poverty is a multidimensional and unstable
phenomenon (relative, absolute, primary, secondary,
structural etc.)
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Depends on context – country, family, rural/urban
area, social policy etc.
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Poverty – is whether households or individuals have
enough resources or abilities today to meet their needs
(The World Bank)
Poverty measurement
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Objective – according to defined poverty threshold
Subjective – people feel to be poor
Direct – observe level of consumption (lower than average)
Indirect – observe income (most studies follow this method)
(Čabanová)
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Extreme p. –
income bellow $2 or $ 1 a day (the World Bank);
this measurement method is also used for the purpose of global
comparison
Poverty measurement
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Relative – lack of resources necessary to
permit participation in diets and activities
commonly approved by society
(Townsend, 1969)
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Relative – defined share of people bellow what
is perceived as “normal” income: 60% (50%) of
median income in a given country – used by UN
(Potůček)
Poverty measurement
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Absolute - the number of people living below a certain
income threshold or the number of households unable
to afford certain basic goods and services.
(http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/povert
y/measuring_poverty.htm)
Income threshold – official social minimum;
minimum consumption basket (Beveridge 1942)
Poverty line – the minimum level of income deemed
necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_line)
People with the biggest probability
to become poor
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people with mental-health problems
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people with drug and alcohol problems
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people who have suffered physical and sexual
abuse
Greatest risk of poverty
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during childhood
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early parenthood
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in retirement (unemployment and low pay also
contribute towards pensioner poverty)
Poverty and immigration
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Many immigrants are poor and homeless,
because they are discriminated against ( in jobs
and housing )
Example:
 France
- among homeless people who use
homeless services are 50% - 80% of immigrants
Homelessness
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Limits in participation and in access to their own, safe
home
Homeless people – “live without a roof above their
heads” (on streets, in social or temporary housings…)
Homeless people – new immigrants, victims of nature
disasters or people with personal disasters (raped as a
children, beaten up as a children, bad marriage, lost of
loved one, been thrown out of jobs, suffered other
kinds of indignities)
Trends in homelessness
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most homeless people in Europe are single or
separated men
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the fastest-growing segments among the
homeless are young, female and part of a family
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divorce as the main reason for the increasing
number of homeless families
Social exclusion and inclusion
SID: Social Integrationist Discourse
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Social Exclusion as exclusion from labour
market/ Importance of work in Integration
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Process- and structure perspective, complex
view of poverty
EU-Policy-Programs
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Access to education, infra-structure, health-care,
cultural-life
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Networks between social Institutions - labour
market - finance support/ benefits
Preventive Policies
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financial, income, capital
including/access to employment, “Intermediate
labour markets”
education, qualification, skills, lifelong Learning
shared resources, changing the public sector,
housing mix
social and psychological skills, social networks
Possible Obligation for social
inclusion of homeless people
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self-help projects, street work
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Respecting the lifestyle of homeless people
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“soft” integration process
Effects of social benefits as a
example of social inclusion policy
Number of poor and socially excluded citizens in EU (in %)
Poverty and social exclusion in the
EU
History of Social Protection and Social Inclusion in EU since 2000
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2000: The Lisbon European Council
 EU leaders established the Social Inclusion Process to make a
decisive impact on eradicating poverty by 2010
 Set up The Open Method of Coordination
2006: Member states submittednationl reports setting out their strategy
2007: The memer states reports were assessed jointly by the Comission and
the Council
2008: Memeber states will submit full National Reports on Strategies for
social Protection and Social Inclusion
2010: The European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
2011: The final Evaluation results should be available
2010:the European Year for Combating Poverty and
Social Exclusion
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In all Member States, part of the population is subject to exclusion and
deprivation (facing limited access to basic services).
78 million people in the EU – or 16% of the population – currently live at
risk of poverty.
The 2010 European Year: Its four specific objectives are:
1)people in poverty and social exclusion have to live in dignity and to
play a full part in society
2)Emphasise everyone’s responsibility in tackling poverty and
marginalisation;
3) A more cohesive society
4) Commitment of all actors, involve all levels of governance
Solidarity is a hallmark of the European Union.
Main Challenges for the future
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The Open Method of Coordination
 First round
 How to continue?
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Future will focused around the following themes:
 Child
poverty and integrationaltransmission of poverty
 An inclusive labour market
 Acces to education and training
 Gender dimesion on poverty
 Acces to basic services
 Adressing the needs of disabled people and other vulnerable groups
 Overcoming discrimination, promoting the integration of
immigrants, social labour market inclusion of ethnic minorities
Child poverty: Crucial issue for
sustainable development in EU
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Child poverty is a cycle: passing it from generation to generation
Adults have a choice, children does not
Relative poverty: Most important issue
Child poverty costs us all, both financially and socially
Children who grow up poor are more likely to:
leave school without qualifications
 have lower employment chances
 get a good job and financially contribute to society
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Poor children are excluded from participating in society.
Share of citizens of eu at risk of
poverty
Poverty and social exclusion in
Czech republic
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Czech republic is one of the countries with very low
poverty rate
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8 % of czech population are under the border of
poverty
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8 % od czech polulation are at risk of poverty
Groups at risk of poverty in
czech republic
Policies of social inclusion in
Czech republic
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3 main goals of social inclusion policies in Czech republic:
1)
To reduce the poverty of single women with children
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2)
To reduce the long-term unemployment
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3)
To access to single parent on labour market
Adhesion of activ policy of employment
To reduce the number of recipients of social benefits
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to regulate social benefit system
Reference list
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Fitzpatrick, S., Kemp, P., Klinker, S. (2004). Bezdomovectví: přehled výsledků výzkumů z
Velké Británie. Kostelec nad Černými lesy: Institut zdravotní politiky a ekonomiky.
Gola, P: V Evropské unii jsou lidé ohrožení "chudobou„. Dostupné z WWW:
http://www.mesec.cz/clanky/v-evropske-unii-jsou-lide-ohrozeni-chudobou/ (cit. 28-3-2008)
MPSV: Národní akční plán sociálního začleňování na léta 2006 – 2008
Potůček, M: Poverty as a social phenomenom. Dostupné z WWW:
http://martinpotucek.cz/courses_esp.html cit. (cit. 28-3-2008)
The World bank: Measuring poverty. Dostupné z WWW:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTPA/0,,c
ontentMDK:20202198~menuPK:435055~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:430367,
00.html
TUTOR2U: Measuring poverty . Dostupné z WWW:
http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/poverty/measuring_poverty.htm (cit. 28-32008)
WIKIPEDIA: Poverty threshold. Dostupné z www:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_line (cit. 28-3-2008)
Thank you for
your attention