Public Sector Reform in Ireland

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 1-26

3. Political and Administrative Context

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 27-57

4. A Ministry for Public Sector Reform

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 59-90

5. Through the Window of Reform

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 91-125

6. Shrinking the State: Organisational Reform and Rationalisation

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 127-163

7. Renegotiating the ‘Bargain’

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 165-192

8. Public Expenditure Reform

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 193-212

9. Culture Reform

   • Muiris MacCarthaigh

   Pages 213-232

10. Political Reform

    • Muiris MacCarthaigh

    Pages 233-253

11. Conclusions

    • Muiris MacCarthaigh

    Pages 255-273

12. Back Matter

    Pages 275-298

    PDF

This book provides a thematic case-study analysis of the wide-ranging public sector reforms introduced in one of the states most deeply affected by the global financial crisis: the Republic of Ireland. It presents a timely and apposite examination of how a crisis can be used to overcome barriers and facilitate new reform agendas. The study draws upon unique insider access to the centre of Irish government, as well as interviews with over 60 key figures, to examine the implementation of those reforms over the 2011-16 period. The book opens with a contextual analysis of the creation of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Subsequent chapters explore the process of shrinking the Irish state, renegotiating the political-administrative bargain, expenditure reforms, administrative culture reforms, and political reforms. This rich ‘in action’ study of a reform agenda undertaken during a period of crisis will appeal not only to students of executive politics, cutback managementand public sector reform, but also to practitioners seeking to implement administrative reforms.

• executive politics
• fiscal policy
• Global Financial Crisis
• cutback management
• public sector reform
• Irish government
• administrative systems
• New Public Management
• Irish economy
• Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
• Irish public sector
• Civil Service Renewal
• austerity
• organisational rationalisation
• shared services
• procurement consolidation
• state agency rationalization
• state-owned enterprise
• Public Expenditure Reform
• Celtic Tiger

“This book contributes much to the academic analysis of state retrenchment. In fact, it also contributes much to studies of government growth – not in terms of spending but in terms of bureaucratic size. … Public Sector Reform in Ireland documents and analyses the complexities of whole-of-government reform to counter the financial crisis using the single case study of Ireland.” (Yao Han, LSE Review of Books, blogs.lse.ac.uk, June, 2018)



“This is a book which needed to be written and Muiris MacCarthaigh has done us a great service by describing and analysing, in great depth, the public sector reforms which were initiated in the period 2011–2016 … . I have no hesitation in recommending this book. It is a tremendous contribution to the existing literature in this field and I know that I will be using it extensively in the classroom.” (Aodh Quinlivan, Irish Political Studies, February, 2018) “This well-crafted book offers a ‘thick’ description of how the Irish state manufactured and delivered its administrative reforms after the 2008 financial crisis. It provides an invaluable exploration of how domestic and international influences shaped new thinking on issues such as shrinking the state, reforming public service employment, cutting expenditure, developing performance reforms and transparency initiatives.” (Philippe Bezes, Centre for European Studies, Science Po, France)

“This masterly and insightful analysis addresses the policy choices faced by the Irish government as it sought to undertake substantial public administration reforms in the midst of the global financial crisis. Both practitioners and scholars will benefit from reading this account of reform in action - not only in Ireland but also on a global scale.” (Tiina Randma-Liiv, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, and Walter Kickert,  Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands)

• School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom

  Muiris MacCarthaigh

Muiris MacCarthaigh is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and Public Administration, Queen’s University Belfast, UK.

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