Measuring Social Inclusion January 7, 2015 | 8:00 AM EST Speaker: Emcet O. Tas Social Development Specialist World Bank Group

Defining social inclusion The process of improving the terms for individuals and groups to take part in society The process of improving the ability, opportunity and dignity of people disadvantaged on the basis of their identity to take part in society Social inclusion is: Specific to time, place, identities Multidimensional Related to poverty and inequality, but goes beyond these Both an outcome and a process All of these characteristics have a bearing on how social inclusion and social exclusion are measured. By this definition, moving toward social inclusion is not only about addressing the patterns of deprivation among disadvantaged groups. It is also - and perhaps, more importantly - about unleashing the grip of different identities or axes of exclusion that give rise to these outcomes, so people can participate in society on better terms.

Disaggregating outcomes by identity

Disaggregation is often the first step in identifying excluded groups Identities are socially constructed & affect people’s experiences and achievements Social inclusion is a relational concept Social structures interact in complex ways to influence people’s experiences, relations and outcomes Note: Illustrative example of types of identities. The size of each bubble denotes the importance of an identity, which can vary across individuals, groups and even for the same individual over time.

Disaggregating by identity can reveal sizable gaps This graph focuses on access to services, but it’s possible to measure inclusion/exclusion in other areas. A large literature in economics and sociology focus on labor market discrimination. The most common methods use labor market surveys and compare market outcomes (e.g. earnings) of different groups (e.g. race, gender, immigrant status, disability status, ethnicity) controlling for productivity-related individual characteristics (e.g. human capital endowments). New studies also focus on new arenas of discrimination, such as the marriage market.

Outcomes can be disaggregated by multiple identities Method: Interaction terms, diff-in-diff regressions. Add link to paper In Bolivia, women who speak an indigenous language have disproportionately low secondary school completion rates – the same pattern holds for literacy and primary school completion, despite many years of universalization policies. Analysis of censuses for other countries – Peru, Mexico, Senegal and Sierra Leone – show similar outcomes, but with different magnitudes for each contributor (gender or ethnicity), highlighting context specificity

Identifying inclusion and exclusion in different areas

Inclusion or exclusion usually occurs in three areas Outcome disparities in any of these areas can be symptoms of exclusion Social structures interact in complex ways to influence people’s experiences, social relations, and achievements.

Multidimensional indicators can capture inclusion and exclusion in more than one area Focus on one area can give a partial view, but inclusion and exclusion often occur in multiple areas There are multidimensional indicators that measure outcomes in multiple areas Illustrative examples of available data: Human Development Index (UNDP) Human Opportunity Index (WBG) Indices of Social Development (WBG & ISS) Social Progress Index (SPI) Social Institutions and Gender Index (OECD) Multidimensional Poverty Index (OPHDI & UNDP) Add detail about examples…

Measuring "subjective" dimensions of inclusion

Multidimensional indicators can capture inclusion and exclusion in more than one area People act on the basis of how they feel “Feelings of being included” can influence people’s abilities and opportunities Attitudes can reveal who gets included / excluded & on what terms Illustrative examples of data sources: Barometer surveys (Euro, Latin, African) World Values Survey Life in Transition Survey Gallup World Poll Pew Global Attitudes Survey Be cautious about interpreting across contexts Reference behavioral experiments (K. Hoff etc.) and WDR15

Comparing two (or more) perception indicators can reveal interesting relationships Attitudes and perceptions toward stigmatized groups can be conflated with each other

Comparing attitudes with standard outcomes show that the two can be related Female labor force participation in countries where people think men have more right to jobs

Feelings of exclusion can be compared across contexts Citizens’ views on unfairness can point to deeper exclusion issues Caution: Interpretation of the question is specific to context as well

Beyond indicators…

Understanding processes of exclusion with mixed methods Social inclusion/exclusion is both a process and an outcome Recall examples presented earlier Underlying the proximate reasons for outcomes disparities can be complex phenomena, not immediately visible to researchers Combined qualitative-quantitative tools can be useful

Qualitative data can help understand self-exclusion High maternal mortality among tribal women in India No female provider 1% They do not trust facility 2% Facility not open 5% Why? (One of the reasons) Husband, family do not allow 5% 80% of tribal women deliver their babies at home instead of clinics Not customary 7% (One of the reasons) (Most common reason) They don’t think it necessary 72% They are not treated with dignity Why? Too costly 23% Why? Too far, no transport 17% Underlying the proximate reasons for poor outcomes can be complex phenomena not immediately visible Source: Adapted from World Bank (2011) based on National Family and Health Survey 2005 in India.

Conclusion

Before measuring : Ask the “right” question Think about what social inclusion means in a given context Identify excluded groups (who), areas of exclusion (from what) & channels of exclusion (how) After measuring : Go beyond symptoms – ask “why?” Be cautious about generalization across contexts Remember that measures are often symptoms or flags The real test is to ask why certain outcomes obtain for certain groups and to focus on drivers and processes of inclusion/exclusion Success of social inclusion measures and policies depends on accurate identification of the underlying problem of exclusion. Next seminar will focus on examples of social inclusion policies.