|
International Conference
Beyond Social Inclusion: Towards a More Equal Society?
organised by:
Centre for Research in Social Policy
held at:
Holywell Park Conference Centre
Sir Denis Rooke Building
Loughborough University
Leicestershire, UK
Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd January 2009
Overview
The Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a two-day international conference. The event was also part of Loughborough University’s Centenary Celebrations.
Over the past decade, in the UK and elsewhere, social inclusion has come to be viewed as the most apposite approach to reducing the burdens of disadvantage, marginalisation and poverty among individuals and communities. Various policy initiatives have been launched under the banner of social inclusion. For the current UK administration, for example, reducing child poverty has become synonymous with including the excluded. But as inequalities continue to widen, such an approach has received growing criticism. It is argued that reducing levels of poverty will not in itself achieve genuine social, economic and cultural participation. Inequalities within nations will simply maintain the old divisions while global inequalities may create new threats and barriers to social participation and citizenship.
The need to tackle inequalities is increasingly seen by many within policy and academic circles as requiring urgent action. The CRSP conference: ‘Beyond Social Inclusion: Towards a More Equal Society?’ brought together policy makers, practitioners and academics to examine the implications of inequalities for individuals, communities, nation states and international relations. A core emphasis of the conference stimulated dialogue between social scientists and policy makers in order to debate the role policy should play in creating a more equal society.
Publications
Two areas of publication have now been confirmed for some of the papers presented at the conference.
These are a special edition “Social Policy and Inequality” by the International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy and Benefits (The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice), which is published by the Policy Press.
Publishing timescales will be late 2009/early 2010. Papers will be selected from across the conference themes.
Sharon Walker
Conference Co-ordinator
Centre for Research in Social Policy
Department of Social Sciences
Loughborough University
Leicestershire
LE11 3TU
Phone: +44 (0)1509 223372/223618
Fax: +44 (0)1509 213409
Email: crspconference@lboro.ac.uk
top
|
