Conceptualising inclusive development by identifying universality, plurality, sociality, and relationality

This article aims to conceptualise contemporary understandings of ‘inclusive development’. The article draws upon two conceptual models: plural/universal rights (Mégret, 2008, 10.1353/hrq.0.0000) and social–relational inclusion (Gupta & Vegelin, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-016-9323-z) to demonstrate how ‘inclusion’ is understood concerning economic, social, and human development. The article then draws upon these disparate, yet interconnected understandings of inclusive development and maps four contemporary inclusive development approaches (participation of stakeholders, representational politics, social protection, and economic redistribution). The purpose of this mapping is to provide context for how the singular word ‘inclusion’ can be used to pursue multiple desired outcomes, some of which may conflict with one another.