Do Current Measures of Social Exclusion Depict the Multidimensional Challenges of Marginalized Urban Areas? Insights, Gaps and Future Research

Rocío Vela-Jiménez and Antonio Sianes
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Rocío Vela-Jiménez: Research Institute on Policies for Social Transformation, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Seville, Spain
Antonio Sianes: Research Institute on Policies for Social Transformation, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Seville, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: According to the United Nations, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, increasing the proliferation of areas of social exclusion and thus polarization and segregation. The establishment of multidimensional measures seeks to identify such situations of social exclusion to inform social policies and interventions. However, some concerns emerge: Are these measures catching the needs of people living in particularly disadvantages areas? Do they offer a human-centred approach or a territorial focus? Is the multidimensionality of such measures reflecting nonmaterial aspects such as health, access to liveable environments or political participation? To analyse how the scientific literature is addressing the measurement of social exclusion to tackle such urban challenges, a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines was performed in the Web of Science database. After screening following the inclusion criteria, 28 studies were identified that analysed systems of indicators that multidimensionally examined social exclusion at the individual and/or family level in urban contexts. Despite studies being eminently limited to some Western countries, the results revealed a broad diversity. However, very few of them fully focused on the specific characteristics of marginalized urban areas, and most found serious difficulties in overcoming a material approach.

Keywords: social exclusion; multidimensional indicators; disadvantaged urban areas; social transformation; local development; inclusive and sustainable cities; social policy; 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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