Abstract

This chapter reviews conceptualisations of poverty, social exclusion and inequality and the ways in which these concepts have been applied in rural studies in different parts of the world, focusing especially on Europe and North America. The chapter begins with concepts of absolute and relative poverty and the ways in which these have been deployed in the global north, before reviewing the concept of social exclusion, now prominent in Europe. The chapter then goes on to consider the various ways in which these concepts have been applied in rural studies, and summarises some of the insights that have emerged, especially in relation to the processes underlying poverty, inequality and exclusion.