Introduction

Chapter 1: Social exclusion, a multidimensional phenomenon

• 1.1 What is meant by “social exclusion”?
• 1.2 How does the structural trend of employment in Europe generate poverty?
• 1.3 From “poverty” to “social exclusion”
• 1.4 How can poverty and social exclusion be measured?
• 1.5 Social exclusion in rural areas: a challenge for sustainable development
• 1.6 The fight against social exclusion and rural development

Chapter 2: Diagnosis and strategies to fight social exclusion in rural areas

• 2.1 Analysing the needs: diagnosing social exclusion in a rural area
• 2.2 Analysing what is being done: taking stock of practices to fight social exclusion
• 2.3 Determining and narrowing the gap between needs and available help
• 2.4 Conclusion

Chapter 3: Taking action against social exclusion in rural areas: what methods? what tools?

• 3.1 Targeted local actions, the start of a more comprehensive territorial approach
• 3.2 Making up for the insufficient aid of public services
• 3.3 Bringing together initiators, beneficiaries, human and financial resources
• 3.4 The tools
• 3.5 Consequences of targeted actions and prospects
• 3.6 Conclusion

Chapter 4: Consolidating the fight against social exclusion by including it in an area-based approach

• 4.1 The challenges of the area-based approach: from the fight against exclusion to social cohesion
• 4.2 Achievements that can be used to elaborate a territorial inclusion approach
• 4.3 Potential and limits of the LEADER method

Conclusion

This dossier is the result of the work done at
the LEADER seminar “Finding answers to situations
of exclusion in rural areas” organised from 30
September to 4 October 1998 in Castlebar (Ireland)
with the collaboration of the South & West Mayo
LEADER group (E-mail: leader@smayo.iol.ie).
It was written by Gilda Farrell (Assistant
director of the LEADER European Observatory)
and Samuel Thirion (INDE, Portugal) with the
collaboration of Bernard Brunet (SAPIE, France).
Jean-Luc Janot (LEADER European Observatory)
was responsible for the final editing of the
text. Production coordination: Christine
Charlier (LEADER European Observatory).