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.
"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)