Continuity and Change in the Welfare State

This book offers an analysis of social security in Ireland from 1981 to 2016 - a period of immense economic and social change during which social provisions such as pensions and family benefits were downsized or diluted in many countries. It considers whether this important area of welfare state provision in Ireland changed, and the extent and pattern of change. In the first in-depth account of this aspect of social policy In Ireland, the book sets the welfare state in a historical and comparative context and reviews the impact of globalisation, politics and the financial crash on the scope and generosity of social security. The book will be of particular interest to scholars of welfare state politics and comparative social policy as well as to students of Irish social policy.

Offers comprehensive coverage of social security, and deploys a range of case studies Identifies the forces that gave Irish social security its distinctive shape Examines all the main areas of social security such as pensions, and Child Benefit Argues that social security in Ireland experienced much continuity, as well as some retrenchment and other, more complex patterns of change

Autorentext

Anthony McCashin, formerly Assistant Professor of Social Policy, is currently Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin.

Zusammenfassung

"The book will be of particular interest to students of Irish social policy who will benefit from understanding the historical foundations of the contemporary system. It also provides an important resource for European and international scholars ... . McCashin's book makes a valuable contribution to scholarship on the Irish social security system - particularly in its important analysis of social security law and policy implemented following the financial crash." (Ciara Fitzpatrick, European Journal of Social Security, Vol. 22 (3), 2020)

Inhalt

1. Ireland and Welfare State Change.- 2. Understanding Welfare State Change.- 3. The Emergence of Social Security in Ireland.- 4. Social Security in Ireland, 1981-2016, a Framework for Analysis.- 5. Social Security Expenditure and Benefits.- 6. Policy Change: An Interpretive Analysis.- 7. Social Insurance and Path Dependence A Long Hello to Beveridge.- 8. Continuity and Drift: Child Income Support.- 9. The State Pension: Layering and Retrenchment.- 10. Jobseekers: Conversion from Passive to Active?.- Epilogue.