Exclusion, cohesion and health to local public hospitals, sponsors ambulances, and invests in the water and sanitation system by in- stalling improved drainage systems and working to provide safe drinking-water to more of the popula- tion. Square works to make the company women- friendly by giving women preferential access to the company’s housing and for women who live in vil- lages, providing transportation to the factories to ensure that women can get to work in a safe envi- ronment free from harassment. Square also breaks cultural norms by posting women in non-tradition- al positions, such as petrol pump attendant. As a re- sult of these practices, Square’s workforce comprises around 26% of women. The employee turnover rate for women is almost zero. These three examples of strategic CSR show diver- sity in CSR strategies driven by different organiza- tional capabilities and resources. Corporations can be socially responsible by changing their business strategies. As CSR need not cut into financial prof- its, the strategy is theoretically applicable regardless of the economic environment. DISCUSSION This application of social exclusion theory to assess multiple policies and actions that have the poten- tial to reduce exclusion in Bangladesh suggests that the social exclusion framework put forth by the So- cial Exclusion Knowledge Network is a helpful tool for policy analysis in Bangladesh. Three key find- ings emerge from this presentation of multiple poli- cies and actions that have the potential to alter the processes that create conditions of exclusion. First, the case studies support that a number of actors, in- cluding the state, civil society, the NGO sector, the private sector, and international agencies, can im- pact the processes that contribute to social exclu- sion or cohesion. Second, while financial poverty is an important contributor to social exclusion in Bangladesh, cultural, political and social exclusion also impact development of people’s capabilities and their access to society’s resources. Third, there is a dearth of data on exclusion, exclusionary proc- esses, and the link between exclusionary processes and health inequities; this needs to be rectified. Multiple actors address exclusion The Bangladesh Constitution mandates that “[I] t shall be a fundamental responsibility of the state to attain, through planned economic growth, a constant increase of productive forces and a steady improvement in the material and cultural standard of living of the people, with a view to securing to its Volume 27 | Number 4 | August 2009 Johnston HB citizens the provision of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care …” (53). While the state has the responsibility of implement- ing and enforcing policies to reduce exclusion, a number of actors, including the state, civil society, the NGO sector, the private sector, including the international corporate sector, and multilateral agencies, can impact the processes that contribute to social exclusion or cohesion. The state has the lead responsibility to implement and enforce poli- cies to reduce exclusion, to develop, implement, and systematically monitor the long-term strate- gies that aim to encourage social cohesion, and also to support documentation of the relationships between social exclusion and health. The state has the responsibility of coordinating and monitoring the long-term strategy of the activities of the coali- tion of actors, including public and private-sectors, civil society, and other institutions and organiza- tions that have the potential to address the proc- esses contributing to social exclusion. However, in Bangladesh, as in a number of other countries, the public sector is not able to provide basic services to much of the population or suf- ficiently regulate other sectors to ensure social re- sponsibility. As a result—as shown in the case stud- ies presented—other sectors, particularly NGOs, including religious organizations, play an impor- tant role in delivering services, such as education and healthcare. While these NGOs provide key services for those who would otherwise not have them, NGOs are not necessarily able to provide consistent services across time and space, and quali- ty assurance is difficult to guarantee. When NGOs become partners with the state in providing basic services, they lose their independence and their ability to play the important civil society role of holding the government accountable to a high lev- el of service-delivery for the general public (40). Employment policies of private for-profit compa- nies can promote social inclusion by targeting groups facing discrimination, including women and people with disabilities (41,52). Job-skills train- ing and subsequent employment have important roles to play in promoting social inclusion. In ad- dition to adhering to the principles of strategic corporate sector responsibility, some private-sector companies promote better labour practices within the country simply by complying with internation- al labour standards required to compete for inter- national contracts. More regular compliance with 435