The objective of the paper is to give an overview of the scope, trends and
characteristics of poverty and social exclusion in the Western Balkans,1
assess the risk of poverty and social exclusion faced by certain groups, as
well as to point to some of the major challenges faced by countries and
governments in their attempts to address the issues of poverty and social
exclusion.
In this paper, poverty refers to insufficient consumption, although the
subjective perspective is also taken into account. Social exclusion refers to
"a process whereby certain individuals are pushed to the edge of society and
prevented from participating fully by the virtue of their poverty, or lack of
basic competences and lifelong learning opportunities, or as a result of
discrimination" (European Commission, 2004b: 8). Social exclusion is a
multi dimensional concept requiring an integrated policy approach.