Transcript The ILM Mission

Shifting Community and
Policy Cultures
Mike Stewart
Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
What is Social Inclusion?
'Social inclusion is the process by which efforts
are made to ensure that everyone, regardless of
their experiences and circumstances, can
achieve their potential in life. To achieve inclusion
income and employment are necessary but not
sufficient. An inclusive society is also
characterised by a striving for reduced inequality,
a balance between individuals’ rights and duties
and increased social cohesion'.
(Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion, 2002)
Employment: Policy Context
Lowest unemployment for 30 years-less
then 1million.
 Increasing numbers of harder to help
 Very high numbers of economically
inactive around 4million.

Key barriers
Basic Skills:
 7 million reading problems
 15 million numeracy problems
Qualifications:
 Half of all unemployed do not have any
qualifications at all.
Key barriers
Welfare benefits:
 Dependence on health and housing benefits
acts as a real barrier
Mobility:
 There are jobs close by but people reluctant
to travel far
Culture of persistent unemployment:
 Very localised pockets of long term
unemployment irrespective of general
economic conditions
Government Priorities
Particular groups: Lone parents, Over 50’s, Ethnic minorities,
People with disabilities
Hard to help: Ex-offenders, Drug/alcohol users,Homeless,
Mental illness, Employer of last resort?
Areas: Action Teams, New Deal for communities,
Neighbourhood renewal
Tackling persistent long
term unemployment
Neighbourhood renewal strategy emphasises bottom up rather then top down
Pockets of severe deprivation in most
neighbourhoods
Private market failure
Social capital/Culture/Generational issues
Little history of self-help or enterprise
Government view

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Focus on supply side-raise employability jobs
will follow
Reluctant to support demand side initiatives there are jobs close by and fear of expensive
‘make work’ programmes.
Rights and responsibilities
Tackle the individual barriers
But-now the social as well as the economic
agenda is becoming more prominent
Social and Economic
objectives
A hand up not a hand out
 How to encourage active engagement
 Enterprise rather then dependency
 Modernising public service delivery
 Rights and responsibilities
 Citizenship
 Social cohesion

Social Economy

Long tradition in the U.K. - the Co-operative
movement etc.

But relatively insignificant. Depending on how defined
there are over 5,000 social enterprises in the UK
employing around 120,000 people.

Now has formal government support which is aiming
for:creation of an enabling environment
making social enterprises better businesses
establishing the value of social enterprise
What is social enterprise?
 ‘Trying to define a Social Enterprise can be like trying
to define an elephant - very difficult and not much
point, because you certainly know one when you see
one’.

Social Enterprise London
http://www.sel.org.uk/

“Social enterprises are, at heart, businesses that offer
economically sustainable business solutions to social
problems.”
U.K. Department of Trade and Industry

Why is government
interested?
Promotes enterprise as opposed to
dependency culture
 Can provide additional jobs in areas
where these are scarce
 Products and services that address
unmet community needs
 Stimulate the local economy and help
attract inward investment

New vehicle for delivery of
public services?
The UK Government is introducing the
not for profit enterprise concept as a
‘third-way’ alternative between outright
privatisation or nationalisation of public
services e.g.
 Railways
 Foundation Hospitals

Further Information

Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
www.cesi.org.uk

Social Enterprise Coalition
www.socialenterprise.org.uk/

U.K.Department for Trade and Industry
www.dti.gov.uk/socialenterprise/index.htm

Towards Full Employment in a Modern Society
www.logos-net.net/ilo/150_base/en/init/uk_12.htm