Irish Social Policy: A Critical Introduction

by Fiona Dukelow, Mair ad Considine

Overview

This 2nd edition of a highly respected textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to Irish social policy. It provides an accessible, critical overview taking account of significant changes over recent years.

The book is organised across four key sections:

1: Traces the emergence and development of Irish social policy from its origins to the present

2: Situates the Irish case in the wider context of the politics, ideology and socio-economic factors relevant to the development and reform of welfare states

3: Analyses core social service areas with specific reference to the contemporary Irish context

4: Explores how social policy affects particular groups in Irish society including children, older people, people with disabilities, carers, new immigrant and minority ethnic groups, and LGBT people. Discusses the challenges posed by environmental issues and the importance of a social policy perspective

Text boxes used throughout provide policy summaries, definitions of key concepts, along with guides for further reading and discussion.

This is a valuable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying Irish social policy and allied subjects.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447329619
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	06/30/2017
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.77(w) x 9.45(h) x 0.05(d)

About the Author

Dr Fiona Dukelow, Lecturer in Social Policy, School of Applied Social Studies, UniversityCollege Cork, Ireland. Her research interests include critical welfare theory and various aspects of historical and contemporary Irish social policy.

Dr Mairéad Considine was previously a Lecturer in Social Policy at the School of Applied Social Studies, UniversityCollege Cork, Ireland. Her research interests include social protection, pensions policy, social policy and welfare state change.

Table of Contents

Introducing social policy;

Section I Approaching Social Policy: from the past to the present;

From the seventeenth century to the early twentieth century: the emergence of social policy in Ireland;

From the 1920s to the 1970s: the development of social policy in Ireland;

From the 1980s to the present: social policy in context;

Section II Explaining Social Policy: concepts, politics and ideology;

Social policy and the welfare state: origins, developments and reform;

Political Ideologies, Welfare and Social Policy;

Contemporary theories and debates in social policy: Ireland in a wider context;

Section III Analysing Irish Social Policy I: social services;

Social protection policy;

Health policy;

Education policy;

Housing policy;

Section IV Analysing Irish Social Policy II: social groups and sustainability;

Social groups and social policy: recognition and rights;

Social groups and social policy: identity and diversity;

Social policy, the environment and sustainability.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This is the definitive textbook on Irish social policy. Its scope and scholarship make it essential reading for every student.” Fred Powell, Professor of Social Policy, UniversityCollege Cork

"Irish Social Policy is an outstanding resource that addresses a wide range of areas of social policy in the Republic of Ireland. It is essential reading for students and professionals interested in the key issues affecting twenty-first century Irish society as well as understanding these in a historical context." Professor Bryan Fanning, School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, UniversityCollege Dublin

Editorial Reviews

"This book by Considine and Dukelow ... covers an expansive range of key social policy issues in one volume ... A definite winner!" Irish Journal of Public Policy (review of the 1st edition)

"The authors have done students of Irish social policy - those in Ireland as well as those outside - a service. They have composed a comprehensive, balanced and well-organised text that will earn it an enduring place in academic work on Irish social policy." Journal of Social Policy (review of the 1st edition)

"Irish students of social policy are lucky to have this text ... [it] is a mighty achievement and an invaluable contribution." Critical Social Policy

From the Publisher

"Irish Social Policy is an outstanding resource that addresses a wide range of areas of social policy in the Republic of Ireland. It is essential reading for students and professionals interested key issues affecting twenty-first-century Irish society as well as understanding these in a historical context."

Bryan Fanning