State Retrenchment and Administrative Reform in Ireland: Probing Comparative Policy Paradigms

Policy choices in response to crisis may carry consequences both for distributive outcomes and for the future policy capacity of the state itself. This paper uses conceptual heuristics to interpret policy practice. It examines the underlying policy paradigms shaping Irish government decisions in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of comparative policy analysis 2017-03, Vol.19 (2), p.100-118
Main Authors: Hardiman, Niamh, MacCarthaigh, Muiris
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agencies
austerity
Budgets
Comparative politics
comparing policy paradigms
Economic crisis
Fairness
Heuristic
Paradigms
Political economy
Public finance
public sector reform
Reforms
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Summary:Policy choices in response to crisis may carry consequences both for distributive outcomes and for the future policy capacity of the state itself. This paper uses conceptual heuristics to interpret policy practice. It examines the underlying policy paradigms shaping Irish government decisions in the aftermath of the European financial and economic crisis. Drawing on comparative political economy literature, it distinguishes between two such paradigms - market-conforming and social equity - and applies them to three reform themes: reconfiguration of public budgets, the public service pay bargain, and the organizational profile of state competences. The findings entail lessons for understanding the malleability of policy choice, and how state policy choices in response to crisis are framed and implemented.
ISSN:1387-6988
1572-5448
DOI:10.1080/13876988.2015.1103432