Exclusion is dynamic as both a process and a status.  Exclusion as a process is about the developments that push individuals towards the margins of a given society. These exclusionary dynamics are highly time- and space-specific; they progress in different ways, are experienced at different degrees and with different intensity, and operate at different social levels. As a status, exclusion reflects the outcomes of that process. The fact that an individual has reached the end point of such a trajectory does not mean that there can be no further movement along the inclusion/exclusion continuum. 

Take the example of marginalization associated with stigmatising conditions such as HIV/AIDS. Their exclusionary power differs highly from place to place (e.g., between South Africa and the USA), between socio-economic and ethnic groups, and across time (e.g., consider the status of HIV-positive people three decades ago and today).

Three inclusive policy markers can assist with diagnosing and addressing such dynamics.

Building-in duration and tracking the pathways of inequalities and exclusion, especially when it comes to their historical and/or persistent forms, are critical policy steps. Three key points help in this regard.