Tools for an Inclusive Ontario

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8: Britain and Social and Economic Indicators

In 1997, Tony Blair's New Labour government adopted social exclusion as a social policy framework. The Social Exclusion Unit coordinates government-sponsored activity to combat 'social exclusion'. New Labour's focus is on exclusion rather than inclusion.

Social exclusion is defined as follows:

Social exclusion is a shorthand term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown. The Social Exclusion Unit was set up by the Prime Minister to help improve Government action to reduce social exclusion by producing 'joined-up solutions to joined-up problems'.ⁱ

The Social Exclusion Unit has four foci:

1. Children and Young People
2. Neighbourhood Renewal
3. Rough Sleeping
4. Reducing Re-offending

The Government's three goals for tackling social exclusion are:

1. Preventing social exclusion happening in the first place - by reducing risk factors and acting with those who are already at risk;
2. Reintegrating those who become excluded back into society;
3. Delivering basic minimum standards to everyone - in health, education, in-work income, employment and tackling crime - using ambitious targets and extra resources.

As a result, in the UK, social exclusion policy is directed at activities that help individuals and communities "help themselves". Critics of New Labour's Third Way say that the real aim of the social exclusion unit is to integrate people into the labour marketⁱⁱ , as part of an overall strategy to create a flexible labour market.ⁱⁱⁱ This is underpinned by a belief that government money should be spent on increasing labour market participation rather than on welfare benefits. This marks an ideological shift away from wealth redistribution toward equality of opportunity through education, training and employment.^iv Thus, the UK approach is that paid work equals social inclusion.^v

Researched and written by Krissa Fay.

June 1, 2003

Endnotes

ⁱ http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/

ⁱⁱ Levitas, R. (1996) The concept of social exclusion and the new Durkheimian hegemony. Critical Social Policy, 18(2), pp. 215-25 and Levitas, R. (1998). The Inclusive Society? Social Exclusion and the New Labour. London: Macmillan.

ⁱⁱⁱ Holden, C. (1999). Globalization, social exclusion and Labour's new work ethic. Critical Social Policy, 19(4), pp529-538. Journal available online via: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journal.aspx?pid=105509

^iv Sabina Leitmann, Social Inclusion/Exclusions: Charting the Discourse. WACOSS Conference 2002,
no longer available online.

^v Lister, R. (2000). Strategies for social inclusion: Promoting social cohesion or social justice? New York: St. Martin's Press, Inc.

The opinions expressed in this project do not necessarily reflect the official views of Health Canada, Population Public Health Branch, now the Public Health Agency of Canada, or the Laidlaw Foundation.

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