The Hindu Business Line : It's not just job`reservation', it's social inclusion

Europe, in 55 years, has moved on from utopian ideologies to `employment creation' and `social inclusion'. The concept underlying `social inclusion' is not new. It is essentially about seeking to ensure that poverty and social inclusion objectives are integrated into all areas of policy-making. Europe is striving to give the right support to raise employment, skills and productivity and improve social inclusion and cohesion when the integration of communities worldwide has never been more important.

Ideologies and utopias share the characteristic of being "incongruous with reality''. The German sociologist, Karl Mannheim, in 1929, suggested that an utopia is not, as it is in colloquial usage, an image of a perfect but unattainable society, or even of a good society. Rather, utopias are ideas or orientations which "when they pass over into conduct, tend to shatter, either partially or wholly, the order of things prevailing at the time''. Ideologies, on the other hand, are ideas that turn out to sustain things as they are rather than being effectively transformative.

Sadly, in India, even 55 years after becoming a Republic, the big debate the government has sparked off is on the intentions to bring a law to ensure job reservation based on caste; in the private sector, jobs for the so-called "economically weaker" sections of society.

Whereas, Europe in 55 years, has moved on from utopian ideologies to `employment creation' and `social inclusion'.

While `social inclusion' might be a new term for many, the concept underlying it is not new.

It is essentially about seeking to ensure that poverty alleviation and social inclusion objectives are integrated into all areas of policy-making.

social cohesion

In March 2000, in Lisbon, Europe's leaders committed themselves to a 10-year strategy to reform Europe's labour, capital and product markets. This is an ambitious programme driven by the vision of a European single market that can become the most competitive in the world, and a reformed social model that combines full employment with social inclusion.

This reform process is based on a shared understanding that a job is, for any adult (and, indirectly, for any dependent children), the first rung on the ladder of opportunity out of poverty and social exclusion. That is why the EU set itself challenging targets for employment for 2010.

social inclusion

The cohesion of Europe does not just depend on creating the conditions for economic growth but also on the ability to create a Europe where social justice drives how services are delivered, opportunities are created, and citizens are involved.

Social inclusion is about giving citizens opportunity and security. Opportunities to fulfill their potential — throughout life — from cradle to grave. Security for when choices and opportunities are limited — because of sickness, physical or mental disabilities, unemployment and in old age. The European Social Model is essentially founded on these principles. The old European Social Model was based on the eradication of poverty — its emphasis was on improving the financial position of the poorest citizens. Having achieved that, the new European Social Model is based on this wider notion of social inclusion — that income alone is not sufficient for a citizen to feel part of and contribute to society. More is needed: Access to good education, and to health services, quality of life, state of the mind and happiness.

The European Union, after many years of experimenting, has recognised that social justice cannot only be delivered through "reservations", subsidies, and grants. There is a clear vision for how European countries can tackle social exclusion.

Stakeholders' involvement

Local and regional government, NGOs and local politicians on the front-line can act as a link with the people who are being `included'. Individuals suffer from poverty and social exclusion and the closer local and regional governments are to the individual, the more likely it is that they will understand the problems and identify the solutions.

These organisations and individuals are the ones building a Europe which has ownership in the community.

Challenges

There are challenges not

just to European nations and their national governments but what politicians and institutions at all levels have taken on, boldly.

The governance of each country has determined the primary powers and resources who will respond to these challenges — but there is not one where local and regional Government does not have a significant role.

An inclusive labour market

Guaranteeing an adequate income

Tackling educational disadvantage

Family solidarity and the rights of children

Reasonable accommodation for all

Equal access to high quality public services

Improving the delivery of services

Regenerating areas of multiple deprivation.

Local and regional governments are being involved in responding to these challenges.

Employment strategy

This is influenced by the ability of member-states to increase participation rates. The European Employment Strategy sets out three overarching objectives in terms of a strategic focus for action in the filed of employment policy:

Full employment

Quality and productivity of work

Social cohesion and inclusion

As with the Lisbon Strategy, member-states are striving to create the right environment to increase participation levels, particularly among groups who are currently under-represented.

The need for specific policies and measures to further progress the reconciliation of work and family life has, therefore, become a key issue at both the EU and national levels.

Work-life balance

Europe has a number of work-life balance policies in place in most, if not all, member states — maternity leave, parental leave, paternity leave, carers leave, general employment equality legislation etc. In addition, at enterprise level various work life balance options are in operation — flexi-time, part-time, annualised hours, teleworking, term time, work sharing, job sharing, various additional leave options either paid or unpaid.

No system can afford to stand still; we must adapt from where we are. It is not where we have come from that matters, but where we want to go. In this context, the "welfare states" in Europe are no longer seen as a crutch or a mere safety net on which to fall, but as a ladder by which people can escape poverty and not fall back.

Europe's nations are striving to give the right support to raise employment, skills and productivity and improve social inclusion and cohesion, at a time when the integration of communities worldwide has never been more important.

For if the first virtue of a utopian approach is its holism, the second is its institutional specificity.

(The author is former Europe Director, CII, and lives in Cologne, Germany. Feedback may be sent to mohan.murti@t-online.de)

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