Human Development and Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion as Part of the Policy Process

Social inclusion, or the combating of poverty and social exclusion, is essential for successful human development. The measurement of poverty and social exclusion is highly relevant at all levels of policy- making. Here, we are particularly concerned with national governments that are making policy in a multinational or global context such as th e European Union(EU). In this process, social indicators have come to play an important role, and we need to examine their construction and use . On the basis of EU experience, we argue for a principle-based approach and explore the possible architecture of indicators of poverty and social exclusion in a multinational(or global) context. We consider the implementation of a set of indicators and their potential contribution to the policy process.