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.

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.

Fred Powell is Professor of Social Policy at University College Cork (UCC) and was Dean of Social Sciences from 2008 - 2014. He currently chairs the University's Social Responsibility Committee (USREP) and is UCC's representative on the Irish University Association's Committee on Community Engagement. He is the author of several books, including The politics of civil society and Dark secrets of childhood, both published by Policy Press.