Social Exclusion and Constitutional Determinants of Human Dignity

The purpose of this study is to refer (relativize) constitutionally determined human dignity to human rights and to demonstrate social exclusion against this background. The scholarly supposition that the category of social exclusion does not have an independent character and that deriving de lege lata the right to protection against social exclusion is premature was given the form of a research hypothesis. Its confirmation or falsification will be done in the shadow of the assumption according to which exclusion should be considered in a two-way fashion: as social exclusion and, separately, as legal exclusion. The introduction of the second category is a relatively new area of research that addresses this subject matter.

The main objective of the paper is to indicate the contribution of Social Investment paradigm and the Social Business model to the process of socioeconomic inclusion. The concept of social effectiveness and the methods of its measurement will be used to achieve the objective. Social Business is built on loans for the poorest and micro-credits for those who can afford to pay interest, however, for the banking system they remain unreliable. According to the European Social Investment paradigm, the government’s spending on social services should not be perceived as redistribution but rather conceptualized as investments that bring a return in the form of larger share in the labour market, greater employee productivity, etc. These two solutions are to support socioeconomic inclusion by combating, above all, financial exclusion defined as financial situation which involves the lack of access to the resources, goods and services, and the inability to participate in social life.