Economic crisis and welfare retrenchment: Comparing irish policy responses in the 1970s and 1980s with the present

This article juxtaposes the impact of the current economic crisis on the Irish welfare state with the impact of the international economic crisis of the 1970s which had a sustained effect in Ireland during much of the 1980s. The analysis focuses on the consequences for social security programmes during both crisis periods, each of which was marked by intractable socio-economic and budgetary pressures. However, while elements of welfare retrenchment can be observed during the economic crisis of the 1980s, these appeared more difficult to instigate and sustain in comparison to the present period. As an inter-temporal qualitative case study, this article aims to identify key drivers influencing why welfare retrenchment has more readily occurred and, it would appear so far, at a potentially deeper level than during the 1980s. As of yet the economic crisis is unabated, and as welfare state changes typically occur in relatively slow motion (Castles 2010), outcomes of the process remain uncertain. However, it seems that if Ireland continues on the path it has instigated, the liberal disposition of the Irish welfare state will intensify.