"They Are Not Like Us" : Understanding Social Exclusion

Lakhani, Sadaf ; Sacks, Audrey ; Heltberg, Rasmus

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCESS TO EDUCATION;    ADAPTATION;    AFFIRMATIVE ACTION;    AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICIES;    AGGRESSIVE;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6784
RP-ID  :  WPS6784

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Negative attitudes toward groups insociety are widespread and underpin systematic processes ofsocial exclusion that marginalize people and deny themopportunities and dignity. This paper looks at the processesunderlying social exclusion. It uses data covering EasternEurope and Central Asia to study the responses to a simplehypothetical survey question about which specific groupsrespondents would not like to have as neighbors. Unwelcomingattitudes toward groups such as immigrants, ethnicminorities, the poor, HIV+ individuals, and others aresurprisingly common. These attitudes fall into threedistinct clusters: intolerance for the poor and fordifferent lifecycle stages; intolerance toward stigmatizedattributes and behaviors; and intolerance toward specificidentity groups. An empirical analysis of the determinantsof attitudes shows that country-specific factors are farmore important than socio-economic characteristics. Thesefindings could have important implications for theoriesabout exclusion and for the design of appropriate socialinclusion policies. The authors argue that strategies toaddress social exclusion need to consider ways to changesocial norms, attitudes, and behaviors toward disadvantagedgroups. The paper explores potential entry points for changewithin formal and informal institutions.