Housing and Accommodation of Irish Travellers: From Assimilationism to Multiculturalism and Back Again

This article charts the changing conceptualization of Travellers in relevant Irish central government policy statements since the 1960s, together with the accommodation policy initiatives devised on this basis. It interprets developments in this regard as a movement from assimilationism to integrati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social policy & administration 2005-12, Vol.39 (7), p.802-821
Main Authors: Norris, Michelle, Winston, Nessa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assimilation
Cultural Pluralism
Government
Government Policy
Housing
Housing and accommodation policy
Housing Policy
Ireland
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Nomadic Societies
Policy implementation
Policy making
Policy studies
Public administration
Public policy
Social policy
Travellers
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Summary:This article charts the changing conceptualization of Travellers in relevant Irish central government policy statements since the 1960s, together with the accommodation policy initiatives devised on this basis. It interprets developments in this regard as a movement from assimilationism to integrationism to (weak) multiculturalism. The article also reveals a significant “policy implementation deficit”, which is manifested in two ways. Firstly, accommodation output has generally failed to meet central government targets and has consistently failed to reduce the numbers of Travellers living in unofficial encampments. Secondly, the type of accommodation provided has often been at variance with central government recommendations. Thus, an assimilationist policy statement has effected multicultural policy outcomes, while a multiculturalist policy statement has effected assimilationist policy outcomes. These patterns of accommodation output are related to various implementation variables—some long‐standing, others new—which have impeded the implementation of national policy by actors on the ground.
ISSN:0144-5596
1467-9515
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9515.2005.00470.x