Area-based programmes have long been a feature of urban policy in the UK.One rationale is that they are an effective means to target poor people. Areadeprivation indices are used to identify areas for targeting. This paper reviewsthe different results produced by these indices. It then examines...

Why is social exclusion a problem? What about ‘voluntary’ social exclusion –when an individual chooses to exclude him or herself from the wider society?Brain Barry has addressed these questions in a recent CASE book, arguing thatsocial exclusion, voluntary or involuntary, offends against...

This paper investigates the overlap between work and labour market status andidentifies those groups at risks of poverty and social exclusion in the labourmarket. A particular attention is devoted to the working poor and precariousworkers. This analysis is undertaken using the Kyrgyz Poverty...

Types of capital which determine the ability of individuals, ofcommunities and of nations to avoid poverty and social exclusion areanalysed. This analysis draws on changing explanations of economicgrowth and the recent literature on social capital. Five forms of capitalare distinguished –...

In the past few years the informal sector in countries in transition hasincreasingly become the focus of research, public policy and the media.The term ‘informal sector’ has been used to describe an extremely widespectrum of activities, which do not necessarily have much in common,such as...

Both educational attainment and school quality are typically lower indisadvantaged areas than others and much recent policy attention has beenfocused on each. This paper looks at the quality problem, exploring therelationships between disadvantaged contexts, what schools do, and the qualityof...

The aim of this paper is to compare academic interpretations of the termsocial exclusion with the understanding of people with direct experienceof the phenomenon. A pre-selected group of residents of deprivedneighbourhoods were asked about various aspects of the concept andtheir responses...