The Political Economy of the Irish Welfare State : : Church, State and Capital / / Fred Powell.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Bristol UP/Policy Press Complete eBook-Package 2017
• VerfasserIn: Powell, Fred,
• Place / Publishing House: Bristol : : Policy Press, , [2017]; ©2017
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (304 p.) :; 1 Black and White

The political economy of the Irish welfare state provides a fascinating interpretation of the evolution of social policy in modern Ireland, as the product of a triangulated relationship between church, state and capital. Using official estimates, Professor Powell demonstrates that the welfare state is vital for the cohesion of Irish society with half the population at risk of poverty without it. However, the reality is of a residual welfare system dominated by means tests, with a two-tier health service, a dysfunctional housing system driven by an acquisitive dynamic of home-ownership at the expense of social housing, and an education system that is socially and religiously segregated. Using the evolution of the Irish welfare state as a narrative example of the incompatibility of political conservatism, free market capitalism and social justice, the book offers a new and challenging view on the interface between structure and agency in the formation and democratic purpose of welfare states, as they increasingly come under critical review and restructuring by elites.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- Why the welfare state matters -- Revolution, culture and society -- Welfare in the Free State -- Religious nationalism, sectarianism and anti-semitism -- The welfare state debate -- Poverty and social inequality -- Liberty, gender and sexuality -- The marketisation of the welfare state -- Crisis, austerity and water -- Conclusion -- References -- Index