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

2. 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.

3. Disaggregating outcomes by identity

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Outcomes can be disaggregated by multiple identities
Method: Interaction terms, diff-in-diff regressions.
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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

7. Identifying inclusion and exclusion in different areas

8. 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.

9. 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…

10. Measuring "subjective" dimensions of inclusion

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Beyond indicators…

16. 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

17. 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.

18. Conclusion

19. 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.