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