Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Belgium
conceivedandimplemented,suchasnegativeconsequencesofeconomicgrowth,
dehumanizingandalienatingeffectsofproductionmeasures,andincreasingly
uni-dimensionalpatternsofconsumption”(Vranken1998,64).AfterthisCredis-
covery)followedaCredefinition):fromtheendofthe1970sandtheearly1980sthe
focusshiftedtonon-materialisticandculturalaspects,ratherthanstressingthe
lackofmaterialandsocialresources,anduthisshifttookplacebecauseofthebe-
liefthatmaterialpovertywaseradicated”(Vranken1998,67).Alongwiththisshift
inperception,peopleinpovertyweremobilizedassocialactorsuthroughsocial
movements,suchasATDFourthWorld,whoassertedtheclaimtogivingvoiceto
therealinterestsandconcernsofpoorpeople”(Vranken1998,68).Asignificant
milestonewastheappearanceoftheGeneralReportonPoverty(AVA)in1994.
Thissymbolicreportwascomposedtocondemntheviolationofthecitizenshipof
peopleinpoverty,andwaspresentedasajointventurebysocialworkersandother
actors,particularly(self-)advocacyorganizations,aimingatguaranteeingtherec-
ognitionofthestandpointsofpeopleinpovertyinastructuraldialoguewithrep-
resentativepolicymakersintheBelgianwelfarestate.AsthePrimeMinisterofthe
dayJean-LucDehaenestated,uinthefuture,thegovernmentwilltaketheconclu-
sionsandthesuggestionsinthegeneralreportasapointofdepartureforanti-pov-
ertypolicymaking”(AVA1994,416).Asaconsequenceofthesedevelopments,
thecoordinationoftheAVAasapolicyinstrumentbecameanannualBelgianen-
terprise,resultingintheCooperationAgreementbetweentheFederalState,the
Communities,andtheRegionsconcerningthecontinuationofthePovertyRe-
ductionPolicyin1998(cf.AVA1994,416),accordingtowhichtheCombatPov-
erty,InsecurityandSocialExclusionServicewasconceivedandgivenamandateto
makeupabi-annualreportaboutthestateoftheartofpovertyissuesinBelgium.
Assuch,userparticipationhascometofunctionasacentralanddominantso-
cialpolicyconceptfortheimplementationofanti-povertystrategiesinBelgium
(Bouverne-DeBie2003).Thisemphasisontheuserparticipationofpeopleinpov-
ertyisinlinewithinternationaldevelopments,wherepractitionersofsocialpoli-
cyhaveshownaninterestinputtingpeoplewithexperienceofpovertyintopartici-
patorypositionsinordertoimplementanti-povertypoliciesandtopursueamore
democraticsociety(Beresford2002,2010;Lister2002,2004;Krumer-Nevo2005,
2008).Sincethe1990s,theformalparticipationofpeoplewithexperienceofpov-
ertyinpolicy-makinghasfiguredprominentlyontheinternationalagendaasuthey
havethecapacitytoplace,andindeedsometimestoforce,lifeknowledgeonthe
political,professional,academicandpolicymakingagenda”(Beresford2000,493).
Inwhatfollows,wefocusonthewayinwhichthisrhetoricofuserparticipationhas
beenimplementedinFlanders(theDutchspeakingpartofBelgium).Interesting-
ly,theappearanceoftheAVAalsoresultedinaFlemishDecreeonPovertyPolicyin
2003,stipulatingtherecognitionoftheCNetworkagainstPoverty)andanadvanced
educationalprogramforpeopleinpoverty,CTheLink)(seeDegrande2003).The
recognitionofthisformalCNetworkagainstPoverty)impliesthattheself-advocacy
25