Tackling poverty comprehensively: effectively tackling social exclusion: the Irish experience

摘要

We,in Ireland, are now at a key moment in our history. We are faced by a period ofudextraordinarily rapid and largely positive political, economic, social, cultural anduddemographic change. This poses us with a major choice or challenge. Will we useudthe opportunities that now exist to create a more inclusive and fairer and more justudsociety or will we adopt a laissez faire approach and allow the divisions·within ourudsociety to deepen? If the latter we will undoubtedly end up with a more divided oruddual society in which most people prosper but in which a significant minority are castudbehind on the scrap of history. To pose the question facing us in another way, haveudwe over the last decade of analysis and experimentation learned enough about how toudtackle poverty and social exclusion? As a result have we now put in place theudappropriate policies and mechanisms to end poverty and social exclusion?udOver the past decade the issue of poverty and social exclusion has moved from theudperiphery to the centre of Irish policy making. We are currently attempting to comeudterms with the danger that our current prosperity may actually lead to a more dividedudsociety. As a result we are engaged in a national experiment or project to try andudreconcile rapid economic and social change and progress and the globalisation of theudworld economy with a desire for increased social integration and inclusion at a localudand a national level. I think that this is well illustrated by the banner headline on audrecent front page of the-Examiner (9th September), following the publication ofudanother report on homelessness. It read: "5,000 people live on the streetsudin land of plenty. Wealth creates uncaring society".