Towards a Second Republic Irish Politics and the Celtic Tiger

During the 1990s and 2000s, the Irish 'Celtic Tiger' model of development was hailed as a model for other European countries, but the global economic crisis has completely removed the credibility of Ireland's approach. So where does the country go now?Towards a Second Republic analyses Ireland's economics, politics and society, drawing important lessons from its cycles of boom and bust. Peadar Kirby and Mary Murphy expose the winners and losers from the current Irish model of development and relates these distributional outcomes to the use of power by Irish elites. The authors examine the role of the EU and compare Ireland'¬"s crisis and responses to those of other states.More than just an analysis of the economic disaster in Ireland, the book is also a proposal to construct new and more effective institutions for Irish politics, the economy and society. It is a must read for students of Irish politics and political economy.

Peadar Kirby is Professor of International Politics and Public Policy in the University of Limerick. He is the author of Celtic Tiger in Collapse (2010) and co-editor of Transforming Ireland (2009).

Mary P. Murphy is a lecturer in Irish Politics and Society, National University of Ireland Maynooth. She has published in journals including Community Development Journal and New Political Economy. She has worked in various campaigning groups and is an advocate for social justice and equality.

List of tables
List of figures
List of boxes
Preface
1. Ireland and the Future of Capitalism
Section I: The Irish State
2. Irish Politics
3. The Irish State Bureaucracy
Section II: The Celtic Tiger Model
4. Managing the Irish Boom
5. The Losers
6. The Winners
Section III: International Context
7. The European Union
8. Reykjavik and Beyond
Section IV: Towards a Second Irish Republic
9. Facing the Challenges
10. Achieving the Second Republic
Notes
Index