What income do families need for social participation?

1. What income do families need for social participation? Belgianreference budgets forsocialinclusion Bérénice Storms

2. Social participation (adequately playing different roles)‏ Health • nutricious food • protective housing • appropriate health care and personal care • suitable clothing • rest and leisure Autonomy: • security in childhood • significant primary relationships • mobility • security Reference budget as guideline which enable the full participation in society of all citizens

3. Reference budgets developed by experts and citizens • Role of experts: • Translating needs into concrete goods and services • Starting as much as possible from a normative (≠ prescriptive!) point of view • If legal norms fit to social reality … • Transparency!

4. Reference budgets developed by experts and citizens • Role of citizens: • Help experts to translate needs into concrete goods and services • Ensure acceptability • Method: • No survey: mixture of needs and wants • Focus groups are better than interviews: because of interaction effects

5. Reference budgets developed by experts and citizens • Composition of focus groups: • Homogenous for: • Income position (income around European poverty threshold) • Household composition (couples with little children) • Living circumstances (healthy, not working, …)

6. Research stages - Stage 1: Flemish reference budgets, financed by University High school K.H. Kempen(2007-2009) Reference budgets developed abroad 9 Focus groups Experts: translating of needs into concrete goods and services (quantity, quality, life spam) + Pricing • Additional expertise: • - Delphi study • comment baskets • additional analyses Literature review Secondary data analysis Case study Total Budgets for 17 family types (not working, renting in private housing, in good health) Group interview with low income families Final Fremish reference budgets for 17 family types anno 2008, (not working, renting in private housing, in good health) Adaption by experts Individual interviews with families around poverty line

7. Research stages - Stage 2: Belgian reference budgets, financed by Belgian government(2007-2009) • Focus groups with: • Working adults (2) • Elderly people (3) • Students (14) • Interview with lone parent families (5) – • case study sick persons (12) Experts: Translating of needs into concrete goods and services (quantity, quality, life spam) + Pricing Additional expertise: - comment baskets - additional analyses Literature review Flemish Reference budgets Belgian reference budgets for 24 family types, living in different socio-economic circumstances anno 2010 Price indexation by category • Consulting experts: • additional analyses Experts Translating of needs into concrete goods and services (quantity, quality, life spam) for a decent life in Wallonia and Brussels + Pricing Focusgroups (7) wilth low income families in Wallonia and Brussels

8. Reference budgets: challenges for the future • How should the focus groups best be organised? • How to integrate life time events, e.g. save money to leave home ? • How should the cost of important life time changes (living alone, getting unemployed, become a pensioner) be covered?

9. Valorisation of Belgian reference budgets • Reference budgets can be used for: • Determining additional income support, settling income maintenance, debt rescheduling; • Financial education/debt prevention; • Measuring poverty; • Encouraging politicians to work towards a socially inclusive society.

10. Determining additional income support, debt rescheduling: development of a practical tool

11. 2. Financial education/debt prevention

12. 3. Measuring poverty Social rent Private rent House owner with morrtgage House owner, no mortgage EU-SILC

13. 4. Encouraging politicians to work towards a socially inclusive society • reference budgets not only reveal what level of income is needed; they also imply a commitment to social cohesion and social inclusion

14. . Encouraging politicians to work towards a socially inclusive society If a car is needed: + 292€ Education costs non regulated Education costs regulated Housing costs: + 50% !

15. Thanks for your attention! Berenice.storms@khk.be BereniceML.storms@ua.ac.be