ABSTRACT
This chapter has two main objectives. First, it discusses contemporary problems of poverty and social exclusion in the European Union, and offers an overview of the main debates concerning the nature and causes of exclusion, and the policies that are in place to promote greater social inclusion and cohesion. Second, it describes the increasing prominence of the concept and practice of local partnership in the policies and programmes of the EU and its member states. The chapter concludes by raising a number of questions about local partnerships as institutional arenas within which a plurality of interests are brought together to address issues of poverty and social exclusion and to promote local development and regeneration.
