In Acord Newsletter Issue 2: June 2001

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Article 7:

Social Exclusion Analysis:

a powerful tool to examine the processes that cause poverty and help to develop appropriate strategies with which to change those processes

by DAVID WALLER, Executive Director, ACORD

Social Exclusion Analysis is a tool used by ACORD both internally and with those it works with to understand the links between the causes, manifestations and consequences of the social exclusion arising from various forms of discrimination by individuals and/or groups.

The tool, developed from "Understanding Racism and Developing Good Practice" by the Organisational and Social Development Consultants (OSDC) involves sharing the points of view of a group of people. Through analysing these points of view, the group members gain both a deeper, and to some degree, shared understanding of their own roles in discriminating against others and being discriminated against.

In the context of ACORD’s work to promote rights and justice, this tool has proved very powerful in examining the processes that cause poverty and helping to develop appropriate strategies with which to change those processes. In Namibia it has helped parents, teachers, hostel workers, grandparents and children themselves to change an extremely dysfunctional set of behaviours that had resulted in the wholesale abuse of girls for almost 40 years.

Within ACORD, we have used it to understand the internal dynamics of the organisation and some of the complex contexts in which we work such as in Sudan, Somalia, Mali, Angola and Uganda.

Source: "Understanding Racism and Developing Good Practice" Organisational and Social Development Consultant (OSDC) 

The social exclusion analysis tool starts off with using a range of exercises to enable participants to understand their attitudes, as revealed by the assumptions, stereotypes, prejudices and values that they adopt in their lives. When attitudes are combined with the power to act, they become discrimination. Participants continue by analysing who has this power to act and to look at the types of discrimination that occur and its consequences.

Social Exclusion Analysis identifies four main types of discrimination. Direct discrimination is perpetuated by one organisation or individual on another, such as not being allowed to do things e.g. access to pasture or marry outside their clan or religion. Indirect discrimination involves people being denied their rights due to structures in society such as rules or the allocation of resources that end up favouring one group at the expense of another because of where they live or their ability to use the system. Discrimination through inaction results from those with the power to act failing to use it to prevent discrimination while victimisation occurs when those discriminated against are blamed- for example, when those living together in a ghetto are blamed for "wanting" to live together rather than acknowledging that the rest of society may be forcing them to do so.

The consequences of discrimination, with examples brought out from the participants' own experiences, include the denial of opportunities, resources, services and, critically, self respect.

Together these elements interact to build an ideology of superiority which underpins and maintains the attitudes and power relationships which allow those involved to justify the status quo. This ideology can be unpacked into its historical, cultural, socio-political and economic roots and into the values, education system, language and legislation that reinforce and perpetuate it.

Developing an understanding of some of the processes behind various forms of social exclusion can be rather overwhelming. So it is critical that the final stage of the workshop considers the opportunities revealed by the analysis to bring about change.

Many NGOs have traditionally focussed on addressing the consequences of social exclusion by compensating for the areas of denial of opportunities, resources, services and self-respect. This tool helps us to look at other entry points for confronting discrimination and social exclusion such as influencing the media, legislation and education.

What has proved critical for ACORD, and for those with whom we have worked using this tool, is that it reveals strategies that the participants can take responsibility for at personal, organisational and societal levels. It has thus been very powerful both as a planning tool and as a means to effectively focus energy and commitment to bring about the changes that we seek.

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