Negotiated governance and public policy in Ireland

Abstract:

This book explores development of public policy in Ireland in a period that has seen incredible economic success embrace policies of social inclusion. This has brought new players into the political arena, strengthening commitment to important policies of national agreements.

The work is comprised of five chapters wrapped around by a comprehensive introduction and informative conclusion. Chapter one examines the efforts of the Irish State to buck the trend away from macro-political bargaining agreements and to reinforce such agreements by inclusion of wider elements of public policy. Chapter two deals with the reconstruction of welfare as increasingly governments across the spectrum of political hues adopt more forcibly the strictures of neo liberal economics. Chapter three addresses the reconstruction of the Irish civil service and repositioning of the citizen as a consumer to whom civil servants are expected to respond in a ‘market-oriented’ manner. Chapter four considers the area of rural and urban development and the plans for increased citizen participation. Chapter five examines the changes that have occurred in environmental regulation, detecting a not wholly altruistic motivation but one perhaps as much interested in ensuring that environmental issues were dealt with in the least damaging way for performance of the Celtic Tiger.

The book will interest scholars and students engaged in public policy studies, economics and political sciences.