How Useful is the Concept of Social Exclusion When Applied to Rural Older People in the United Kingdom and the United States?

Abstract

M offatt S. and G lasgow N. How useful is the concept of social exclusion when applied to rural older people in the United Kingdom and the United States?, Regional Studies . This paper explores the now widespread use of the concept ';social exclusion' in the United Kingdom and examines why discourses of social exclusion have not been used in the United States. The relationship between social exclusion and poverty is critically applied to rural older people, a group only recently appearing in debates about social exclusion in the UK. Despite extensive debates about social exclusion in the UK, it is shown that state-provided income programmes are crucial to reducing poverty among older people and that data to indicate progress on addressing any of the more relational aspects of social exclusion are largely insufficient.

Flying Under the Radar? Risks of Social Exclusion for Older People in Rural Communities in Australia, Ireland and Northern Ireland

“…Ageing in a rural area thus has the potential to increase exposure to risk across different domains of social exclusion (Scharf and Bartlam 2008;Dwyer and Hardill 2011). Indeed, a growing body of evidence testifies to the complex and diverse ways in which rural older people might experience exclusion (Wenger 2001;Scharf and Bartlam 2008;Moffatt and Glasgow 2009). The literature highlights the higher risks of poverty, deprivation, isolation and loneliness associated with rural ageing (Walsh et al 2012), showing that complex and multidimensional rural ageing issues have significant implications for older people's quality of life (Keating and Phillips 2008).…”

Comparative analysis of rural poverty and inequality in the UK and the US

“…Hence, Platt (2007) notes that while income poverty, deprivation, inequality and social exclusion are often used interchangeably, they are fundamentally different but related ideas with low incomes at the core, encompassing people's standard of living and the ability to adequately participate in society. An explicit emphasis on social exclusion is not found in the US rural literature (Shucksmith and Schafft, 2012;Moffatt and Glasgow, 2009). It is not that US researchers are not concerned with lack of access to these resources, but more a case that they do not consider such deficits as comprising aspects of poverty.…”

The Socioeconomic Status of Polish Pensioners Before and After Migration

“…The analysed issue can also be examined in the context of social exclusion of older people. Social exclusion refers to the separation of individuals and groups from the mainstream of society (Commins, 2004;Moffatt, Glasgow, 2009). It has a multidimensional character and can refer to many areas of life: education, economy, culture, and politics.…”