This book presents a critical account of how citizenship unfolds among socially marginalised groups in democratic welfare states. Legal, political and sociological perspectives are applied to offer an assessment of the extent and depth of citizenship for marginalised groups in countries which are expected to offer their members a highly inclusive form of citizenship.

The book studies the legal and political status of members of a nation state, and analyses how this is followed up in practice, by examining the subjective feelings of membership, belonging or identity, as well as opportunities to participate actively and be included in different areas of society.

Showing how the welfare state and society treat citizens at risk of social exclusion and offering new insights into the conceptual interconnection between citizenship, social exclusion, and the democratic welfare state, the book will be of interest to all scholars, students and academics of social policy, social work and public policy.

Marianne Takle is a research professor at NOVA at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. Her research includes studies of migration and solidarity at the European, national and local levels. In recent years, she has studied sustainable European welfare societies with a main emphasis on what it means to act in solidarity with future generations. ORCID: 0000-0003-3274-4218

Janikke Solstad Vedeler is research director at NOVA at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. Her research interests include disability, inclusive working life and elderly care, and she is currently working on a project funded by the Norwegian Research Council on employers' practices towards the hiring of persons with disabilities. ORCID: 0000-0002-3594-0540

Mi Ah Schoyen is a senior researcher at NOVA at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. She works in the field of comparative welfare state research. Her interests include the welfare mix, the politics and social consequences of welfare state reforms, intergenerational solidarity and the interplay between climate and social policy. ORCID: 0000-0003-4851-9920

Kjetil Klette Bøhler is a professor at University of South-Eastern Norway. His research focuses on cultural politics, the politics of music and social exclusion, with a particular emphasis on how persons with disabilities can participate in society as active citizens. He has also carried out larger research projects on social, musical and political change in Latin America, with a particular focus on Cuba and Brazil. ORCID: 0000-0002-2926-5673

Asgeir Falch-Eriksen is a head of academic unit at Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. He has a PhD in political science and specializes in political theory, legal philosophy and the sociology of the professions. He has published multiple research reports on Norwegian child protection and further publications on the interconnection between child protection and human rights. ORCID: 0000-0003-2328-5531