Introduction

The problem of social exclusion is an important emerging issue within social research and in the management of social issues. The concept first appeared in Europe at the end of the 1970s, coinciding with signs of social dysfunction and mounting social tensions that led to the emergence of a particular lifestyle and behavioural patterns amongst certain social groups. Social workers and social policymakers recognize the difficulty of measuring social exclusion, but acknowledge that it results from the decline of social harmony and the disruption of social integration.

Related Subject(s): Population and Demography