Aggregate level and determining factors of social exclusion in twelve European countries

Abstract

There has been a shift in the public discourse of many EU countries from `poverty' to `social exclusion'. This article treats chronic cumulative disadvantage as a proxy for `social exclusion' and provides an empirical application using data from the ECHP. Social exclusion appears to be more widespread in Southern European countries with relatively underdeveloped welfare states and the countries associated with the `Liberal' welfare state regime. The results of multivariate analysis demonstrate that in most countries, lack of full-time employment, low educational qualifications, lone parenthood, non-EU citizenship and bad health are positively and significantly associated with increased risk of social exclusion. In contrast, the effect of being an elderly citizen living alone or a member of an elderly couple is found to be negatively associated with the risk of social exclusion in Northern but positively in Southern Europe. Finally, country and welfare regime effects turn out to be significant in explaining the probability of social exclusion.

Les discours publics dans de nombreux Etats membres ont davantage mis l'accent sur l'exclusion sociale que sur la pauvreté. Cette contribution considère que les désavantages cumulatifs et chroniques correspondent approximativement à l'exclusion sociale. Elle présente une application empirique en utilisant les données du Panel européen des ménages. L'exclusion sociale paraît être plus fréquente dans les pays du Sud de l'Europe qui ont une protection sociale relativement sous-développée et dans les pays ayant un régime de protection sociale qualifié de libéral. Les résultats d'analyses multivariées démontrent que, dans la plupart des pays, l'absence d'un contrat à durée indéterminé, un bas niveau d'éducation et de qualification, des parents isolés, la non citoyenneté européenne et la mauvaise santé sont corrélés positivement et de manière significative avec un risque accru d'exclusion sociale. L'effet d'être un citoyen âgé vivant seul ou un membre d'un ménage âgé est associé de manière négative au risque d'exclusion sociale dans les pays du Nord de l'Europe mais de manière positive dans ceux du Sud. Enfin, les effets des régimes de protection sociale national se révèlent être significatifs dans l'explication de la probabilité d'exclusion sociale.

Keywords

cumulative disadvantage deprivation EU poverty social exclusion

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