The phenomenon of social exclusion with characteristics of deficiency not only at the income level but also in the political realm - deprivation of social and political rights - as well as in the social realm - alienation and isolation - is a pressing concern for today’s societies.

The employment crisis has proven to be not just temporary; the development of technology has changed the landscape of professions, leading the less educated, older individuals, and holders of qualifications replaced by new professions to be pushed out of the labor market.

Furthermore, the large migratory flows that occurred throughout Europe after the collapse of real socialism face significant difficulties in the labor market, along with all the associated problems that unemployment, underemployment, and contingent employment cause.

As a result, large segments of the population are being marginalized, and more and more are being pushed to the brink of their economic survival.

In this collective work:

• Theoretical issues related to the conceptual determination, context, and significance of social exclusion are exposed, even if fragmentarily.
• This phenomenon is examined in conjunction with other social parameters, such as social protection, culture, and leisure, as well as the impacts of social transformation that have occurred in rural areas, particularly concerning the elderly.
• Measures to combat it are proposed.
• Characteristics of three specific social groups - Roma, Albanian undocumented immigrants, and Pontic Greeks - who are on the margins of Greek society and face the greatest risk of being integrated into the marginal groups of socially excluded individuals are mentioned.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]