Social Exclusion: Causes and Effects

Social Exclusion/Isolation

• Social exclusion is the involuntary and forceful separation of a group or individuals into a specific, isolated area, such as ghettos.
• This can result from factors like political isolation (parallel societies unaware of each other's issues, leading to unchanged future policies), linguistic isolation, widening wealth gaps, rising crime rates and violent protests from marginalized groups.
• Marginalized groups face denied access to community resources, making them unable to participate fully in society.

Causes of Social Exclusion

• Poverty: Lack of access to resources, including basic necessities, health care costs, and inability to network.
• Ill Health: Physical and mental health issues, mobility problems, and/or high healthcare costs, preventing participation in community life or employment.
• Discrimination: Based on various factors including race, gender, sexual orientation, culture, or politics
• Lack of Necessities: Basic needs such as education, suitable housing, and job opportunities.

Effects of Social Exclusion

• Increased Ill Health: Higher rates of illness and lower life expectancy for marginalized groups due to lack of access to quality healthcare.
• Higher Crime Rates: Criminal activity associated with disenfranchised groups in response to economic and social marginalization.
• Reduced Rights: Fewer opportunities and benefits due to discrimination and lack of resources from the community.
• Reduced Opportunities: Restrictions due to factors like lack of education or employment opportunities.
• Reduced Resources: Limited access to healthcare, schools, infrastructure, necessities, or employment opportunities
• Social Isolation/Segregation: Communities separated based on cultural, economic, or social differences.

Social Segregation

• Separation of a society into different sections – can arise due to various socio-economic characteristics, ethnicity, religion and/or other factors.
• Positive Segregation: Voluntary separation based on shared identity or opportunity, with people seeing benefit in living in the same community.
• Negative Segregation: Separation imposed by external factors such as laws.

Residential Segregation

• Different population groups/races are separated into different neighbourhoods.
• This affects various aspects of life like politics, access to resources, healthcare, education.
• This can cause a concentration of certain groups in particular areas, contributing to clustering and centralization.
• Consequences include lack of diversity, mistrust among different groups, limited access to resources and opportunities for a particular group in a society

Gated Communities

• Communities with restricted access through gates or walls, where only residents or authorized individuals can enter.
• Often motivated by security concerns related to rising social disparity.
• Positives include security, reduced crime, and safer facilities like parks and recreation spaces.
• Negatives include increased inequality between residents who can afford to live within the gated community and those living outside.

Fall of Detroit

• Detroit's decline relates to factors like industrial restructuring, globalization, job losses, suburbanization, increased competition, changes in consumer preferences, and mismanagement.
• These factors resulted in mismanaged decisions, and a decline in population, and thus, the city's economic and tax base.

Urban Decline and Blight

• Decline of urban areas due to various factors such as industrial decline or lack of investment. Contributing factors include loss of businesses, lack of maintenance, abandonment of buildings, and lack of jobs.

Gentrification

• Refers to the process where wealthier people move into a neighborhood, leading to increased property values and higher rents.
• Often displaces lower-income residents and changes the neighborhood's character, creating tension between long-time inhabitants and new residents/investors.
• Causes include affordability of housing, proximity of resources and amenities, attractiveness as cultural hubs.
• Positive gentrification results in investment, renovation, and cultural opportunities.
• Negative gentrification results in price increase, displacement of residents, and economic inequality.

Urban Farming in Detroit

• Urban food production initiatives are a way to revitalize communities, address food deserts, and support community well-being.