• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.253-277
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• 2004

Since the early nineties, the European welfare states have been undergoing a paradigm shift from 'poverty' to 'social exclusion' in that the disadvantaged have increased in many areas, despite continuing increases in general living standards due to the steady economic development in Europe. In relation to this, Silver(1994) traces the evolution of the term 'exclusion' over time, and distinguishes three paradigms within which social exclusion is embedded (solidarity, specialisation and monopoly). In this regards, this paper purports to examine if differences of social exclusion indicators amongst three paradigm countries (notably, France, UK and Sweden) are statistically significant. For this purpose it takes the steps of 'theoretical conceptualisation'$\rightarrow$'classification of nations'$\rightarrow$'indexation for measurement', each of which constitutes an independent chapter. It duly argues that social exclusion indicators of three countries are hierarchically different in line with the Silver's three paradigms of social exclusion.