Parliamentary Library report on Social Inclusion
Written by Administrator Wednesday, 23 December 2009 12:10
Research Paper no. 08 2009–10
Social inclusion and social citizenship—towards a truly inclusive society
Luke Buckmaster
Matthew Thomas
Social Policy Section
23 October 2009Executive Summary
Since taking office in December 2007, the Rudd Government has made social inclusion a key theme in its approach to social policy.
This paper examines the concept of social inclusion in order to determine its usefulness as a framework for social policy.
The paper suggests that the concept of social inclusion lacks a clear definition and coherent theoretical core.
The term social inclusion is conceptually problematic in that it limits its scope to threshold issues and presents those being included as passive objects of policy, rather than as active participants in society.
The concept of social inclusion is thus unlikely to provide a useful framework for driving social policy, without some modification or clarification
With its emphasis on participation, social inclusion bears some resemblance to the concept of social citizenship, though without the crucial focus on such participation as being a right—as is the case with citizenship.
Locating social inclusion within a revised and more contemporary citizenship framework would most likely strengthen it as a concept. It would do so by reframing the concept in terms of the various rights and duties necessary for full citizenship, and creating a more active and participatory approach to social arrangements than can currently be found in the concept of social inclusion.
"A related controversial question in recent years has been how citizenship can take adequate account of ethnic, religious and other forms of socio-cultural diversity. For some, the strategy of seeking to include disadvantaged and/or minority groups within a universal framework of citizenship fails to properly account for difference and is ultimately discriminatory. Such critics have argued instead for differential rights of citizenship or cultural rights for particular groups. Others have suggested that differential rights are incompatible with the notion of equality of status and that, if they are to be employed at all, they should only ever be a temporary measure aimed at addressing inequality."
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