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This seminar explores the role of research in supporting policies to combat poverty and promote social inclusion, discussing concepts, data, indicators, and strategies for inclusive growth. It also examines the Europe 2020 Strategy and the outcomes of past social inclusion policies.
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“Wetenschap en Armoede” EU-funded research combating Poverty and Social Exclusion EWI SeminarieMaandag 5 December 2011 Marc Goffart Directorate for the European Research Area European Commission / Directorate General for ResearchSocio-economic sciences and humanities - Foresight
Onderzoek tegen/over Armoede & voor Sociale Insluiting : Wat? Waarom? • Na 2010: Europees Jaar tegen Armoede & voor Sociale Insluiting • Wat kan onderzoek doen om beleid te ondersteunen? • Wat kan beleid doen om sociale insluiting te promoten? • Wat weet onderzoek over uitsluiting en armoede? Wat Sociale Wetenschappen aan beleid kunnen bijdragen: • KENNEN: data, statistieken & indicatoren • UITLEGGEN: concepten, definities & methodes • BEGRIJPEN: context, oorzaken & mechanismes • VOORUIT KIJKEN: modelleren, vooruitzich & scenarios • AANBEVELEN: van kennis naar actie / beleid
Overview Poverty & Social Exclusion / EY2010 - Context Historical & Political Context Lisbon & Europe 2020 Strategies Some Facts & Figures - Research Findings What Social Sciences can contribute to policy What we know about poverty and exclusion in Europe Research for Inclusion in Europe & Beyond Research Portfolio on In/Exclusion / Poverty / Inequality/ies Indicative Strategic Research Roadmap 2011-2013 Making research heard / known: Communication Activities Science against Poverty Conference (La Granja, 8-9 April 2010) Youth and Social Inclusion Conference (Brussels, 17-18/11/2011)
Social Europe, on the road fromLisbon 2010 to Europe 2020 • Lisbon Strategy (2000), with as aim to make the EU "the most competitiveand dynamic knowledge-basedeconomy in the world, capable of sustainableeconomic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion", by 2010. • Parallel « sectoral » strategies for macro-economic, employment and social policy-making (BEPG, SD3 Strategy, Employment / Growth & Jobs Strategy, SPSI process). • Since 2000 (Nice and Laeken Summits)the EU has launchedOpen Methods of Coordination(OMC)in the social fields of • 1) social inclusion, 2) pensionsand 3) health & long-term care(as well as for education, youth, demography, etc). • National policy implementation (sensitive national policy areas…),but common European objectives, indicators and reporting procedures • In March 2006, the European Council streamlined the 3 existing OMC’sunder a new framework with common objectives: the social protection & social inclusion process. • Mobilising policy-makers (& citizens / civil society) on social issues via symbolic thematic years • 2007 on “Equal Opportunities and Non-Discrimination” and 2008 on “Inter-cultural Dialogue”; • 2010 the “European Year forCombating Poverty and Social Exclusion” (budget 17 mio €)
Armoede & Sociale UitsluitingConcepten & Analytische niveaus
Defining poverty and social exclusion Poverty: “People are poor if they consistently lack the means to obtain the minimum necessities in the society in which they live” minimum necessities are focal to poverty measurement = objective (not subjective: satisfactions, general well-being or happiness) means (income/wealth) are the key criterion, not actual consumption consistent = at least one year, continuous Social exclusion: Multidimensional concept, 4 theoretical dimensions: a) material deprivation (actual hardship) b) inadequate access to social rights (mainly services) c) insufficient social participation d) insufficient cultural/normative integration a, b= economic or structural exclusion (Anglo-Saxon tradition) c, d= socio-cultural exclusion (mainly French tradition)
Geld maakt niet gelukkig, maar… • …the poorest citizens in richest countries are «happier» (more satisfied with life) than the richest in the poorest countries; • …great inequalities exist in satisfaction within countries.
Stock-taking of 10 years of coordinated national social inclusion (OMC) policies • Despite a period of substantial economic growth, poverty rates have not been shrinking in Europe in the first decade of this century. • Economic growth may be conducive to creating jobs (“Growth & Jobs…”), • and having a job remains the best safeguard against poverty & exclusion. • But this does not automatically lift people out of poverty. • recent employment increases have not sufficiently reached those furthest away from the labour market (“Active Inclusion”); • Jobs have not always succeeded in lifting people out of poverty (“in-work poverty”); • Labour market segmentation (“insiders & outsiders”) & precarious forms of employment (temporary contracts – youth & women) • Little social protection expenditure (7.7%) for families & children • family benefits help reduce the level of child poverty.
The Europe 2020 Strategy On 03/30/2010, the European Commission has launched the Europe 2020 Strategy for the next decade to go out of the crisis and prepare EU economy; sets out a vision for Europe's social market economy. The key drivers of the EU 2020 Growth Strategy should be thematic, focused on the following priorities: SMART Growth: Creating value by basing growth on knowledge SUSTAINABLE Growth: Creating a competitive, connected and greener economy INCLUSIVE Society: Empowering people in inclusive societies The Europe 2020 Strategy should be jointly implemented through concrete actions (EU - Member States - local & regional authorities).
Europe 2020 Implementation • Europe 2020 agenda will be implemented through “Flagship initiatives” • Progress will be measured againstEU-level & national headline targets • Employment – “An agenda for new skills and jobs“: • modernise labour markets & developing skills • matching labour supply and demand, facilitating labour mobility. • 75 % of the population aged 20-64 should be employed. • Education & Training – “Youth on the move“: • enhance the performance of education systems • facilitate the entry of young people to the labour market. • The share of early school leavers should be under 10% • At least 40% of the younger generation should have a Masters. • Poverty - “European Platform against poverty”: • ensure economic, social and territorial cohesion • enhance rights of people experiencing poverty to live in dignity • 20 million less people should be at risk of poverty.
Council conclusions on povertyheadline target and indicators • On 7 June 2010, the Employment and Social Policy Ministers of the 27 EU Member States approved the EU2020 strategy’s objective of lifting at least 20 million Europeans (= 25% reduction) out of poverty and exclusion by 2020. • The Ministers also agreed on the three indicators proposed by the Social Protection Committee to measure the overall number of people at-risk-of-poverty or excluded • the at-risk-of-poverty rate, • the material deprivation rate and • the share of people living in jobless households. • The Council declared that the 2015 mid-term review should consist in a review of both the poverty reduction headline target and the indicators.
Continental Nordic Anglo-Saxon Mediterranean New Member States
Income Inequality x Infant Mortality Wilkinson R, Pickett KE: The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone (2009)
Income Inequality x Education • Similar correlations for: • Trust and Community • Mental Health • Drug Abuse • Imprisonment • Social Mobility • Teenage Births • Obesity • Violence
Growing Unequal - Key Findings OECD, 2008 In most countries the gap is growing because rich households have done significantly better than middle-class and poor households. Changes in the structure of the population and in the labour market over the past 20 years have contributed greatly to this rise in inequality. • Wages have been improving for those people who were already well paid. • Employment rates have been dropping among less-educated people. • And, there are more single-adult and single-family households. Who is most affected? (poverty in relation to average incomes) • Since 1980, poverty among the elderly has fallen in OECD countries. • But, poverty among young adults and families with children has increased. • On average, 1 child out eight living in an OECD country in 2005 was living in poverty. Social mobility is generally higher in countries where income inequalities are relatively low (and lower for those countries with high income inequalities. • Children living in countries with a large gap between rich and poor are less likely to improve over their parents (‘education and income) than children living in countries with low income inequality.
Growing Unequal - What can be done?OECD, 2008 What can be done? In some cases, government policies of taxation and redistribution of income have helped to counteract widening inequalities, but this cannot be their only response. Governments must also improve their policies in other areas. • Education policies should aim to equip people with the skills they need in today’s labour market. Education policy even if it is successful leaves a significant residual effect of past experiences. • Active employment & Lifelong learning policies are needed to help unemployed people find work or upskill the employed. • Access to paid employment is key to reducing the risk of poverty, but in-work poverty remains high: over half of all households in poverty have at least some income from work. • Welfare-in-work policies can help hard-pressed working families to have a decent standard of living by supplementing their incomes (= Active Inclusion)
FP6/FP7 Portfolio of Recent/Ongoing SSH Research on issues of Youth, Family & Social Inclusion Demo-graphy Population Policy Acceptance Study Work & Welfare Female ImMigrants on Labour Market Work and Life Quality in New and Growing Jobs Work-related family issues Generationalapproachto Social Patterns of Relation to Work LoWER3Low-wage/skills Employment Focusing on Age Groups Social Inclusion OSISHousing Origins of Security & Insecurity
2010 - European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion8 SSH initiatives on poverty and social exclusion • Spanish Presidency Conference "Science against poverty", Segovia on 8-9 April 2010 - www.scienceagainstpoverty.com • Council Conclusions of 28 May 2010 on "The social dimension of the ERA" - http://www.scienceagainstpoverty.com/Resources/documentos/resultados/Social_Dimension_European_Research_Area.pdf • Press briefing on "Social Inclusion by Education" in Barcelona, 27 April 2010 - http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=newsalert&lg=en&year=2010&na=na-160410 • policy review "Why socio-economic inequalities increase? Facts and policy responses in Europe" - http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/policy-review_en.html • presented at an evidence-based policy conference entitled "New and growing inequalities”, Brussels 11 November 2010 - http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/events-131_en.html • Participatory Forum "Building together a society for all – A circus against exclusion", Halles de Schaerbeek in Brussels, 19-20 October 2010http://www.2010againstpoverty.eu/export/sites/default/downloads/Events/event_265_94_participatory_forum_programme_en.pdf • supported by an ad-hoc synopsis publication "European Research Against Exclusion, Poverty and Socio-economic Inequalities", presenting objectivesand results of 15 FP6 & FP7 projects. • SSH Work Programme 2011 – 2 topics on social innovation & 2 topics on poverty (currently under negotiation / ready to be launched next year) - ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/wp/cooperation/ssh/h-wp-201101_en.pdf
Spanish EU Presidency against Poverty • Science against Poverty Conference (La Granja, 8-9/4/2010 - 200 p) • Role of science in addressing poverty – www.scienceagainstpoverty.es • International (poverty) as well as European (inclusion) dimension • Include the social dimension of science in the political agenda • Conference supported bySSH programme under WP2010 • role of Socio-economic sciences for understanding / policy support • convey to society clear messages and proposals for future action • “Council conclusions on the Social Dimension of the ERA” (26/5/2010) • stimulate interdisciplinary research in humanities, social and natural sciences and engineering to create new added value; • promote the civil society's and citizen’s input for the development of responsible strategic research agendas (…), including through (…) social platforms; • take into account the social dimension in its regular reporting on the development of the ERA. Science against Poverty Conference, La Granja 8-9 April “Education and Training” Conclusions 25
Youth and Social Inclusion ConferenceMADOU, 17-18/11/2011 Vaststellingen: • Aan de zijlijn staan is géén keuze: ambities en verwachtingen zijn zéér gelijklopend met die van «modale jongeren»… (maar niet uitkomst) • Onzichtbaarheid van kwetsbare / kansarme jongeren in statistieken & beleidsprocessen; gebrek aan participatie v.d. jongeren & NGOs. • Tal van wettelijke en institutionele belemmeringen(bv.: qua leeftijd, nationaliteit, …) + discriminatie & vooroordelen (lage verwachtingen) Aanbevelingen: • Preventie & vroeg remediëren - stabiele, warme & gezonde leefomgeving • =>multi-sectoraal: samenwerking tussen onderwijs & zorg; • Volwassen vertrouwenspersonen (school, NGO, hulpverlening, …) • Méér kansen en vertrouwen geven, veeleer dan meer geld…
SSH - WP2011Efforts on Poverty & Inclusion • SSH.2011.2.1-2: Combating poverty in Europe: a key question of human dignity and social cohesion (2 projects: 2.7 + 2.0 M€) • SSH.2011.2.2-1:Addressing cohesion challenges in Central and Eastern Europe (max 2.7 M€) • SSH.2011.2.1-1: Economic, social and political conditions for satisfying the world food needs (6.5 M€ - 8M€) • SSH.2011.4.1-1: Tackling poverty in a development context (6.5 M€ - 8M€)
A thought - Oasis Opportunities Access Solidarity in Societies With thanks to Howard Williamson
Bedankt voor uw aandacht! Marc.GOFFART@ec.europa.eu European Commission, DG Research, Unit RTD/L2 Research in the economic, social sciences & humanities - Foresight SDME 7/33 - B-1049 Brussel tel.: +32-2-299.17.13 - Fax: +32-2-296.21.37 http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/index_en.htm http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ssh/
A Research/society vision for the EU2030?Trends in Social Quality (ENIQ) • Socio-economic Security: • having resources over time • Financial resources, Housing and the environment, Health and care, Work, Education • Social cohesion: • sharing social relations, based on identities, values and norms. • Trust, Other integrative norms and values, Social networks, Identity (social capital) • Social Inclusion: • having access to and being integrated into the different institutions and social relations that constitute everyday life. • Citizenship rights, Labour market, Services (public and private), Social networks • Social Empowerment: • enhancing the personal capabilities of individual people and their ability to act. • Knowledge base, Labour market, Openness and supportiveness of institutions, Personal relations • comprehensive analytical framework for further monitoring and (re)thinking the European welfare models/regimes and to adapt social policies to economic and social complexity and variety.