-
Parliamentary oversight: Oireachtas committees and the Dáil Committee on Public Accounts in the twenty-first century Administration Pub Date : 2023-12-22 Catherine Lynch
Strong parliaments hold the government, its departments and the wider public administration to account. Such parliaments are built on strong and active committee systems. For a long time, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was the only oversight committee consistently in place in the Houses of the Oireachtas. This article explains how the committee system has been gradually expanded and strengthened
-
Making internal audit count Administration Pub Date : 2023-12-22 Kevin De Barra
In recent years the role of the internal audit function has gained increasing prominence and is now seen as a cornerstone in the overall governance of public sector bodies. This article explores the experience of 127 public sector bodies and illuminates key insights for public sector bodies seeking to realise more meaningful results from the efforts currently directed towards the internal audit function
-
Ireland’s first state agency: A century of change in the range and scope of functions of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General Administration Pub Date : 2023-12-22 Colin Scott, Muiris MacCarthaigh
A search of the Irish State Administration Database (ISAD, www.isad.ie), which records the origins, life cycle, policy domain and functions of all central public organisations since the foundation of the Irish state over a century ago, reveals that, following the formative and turbulent year of 1922, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General was the first new agency formally established in
-
Regional economic resistance and divergence in Ireland, 2011–22 Administration Pub Date : 2023-08-17 Chris Van Egeraat, Declan Curran, Proinnsias Breathnach
This paper examines the resistance of Irish regions to potential future economic shock, focusing specifically on employment change in firms in receipt of assistance from the Irish government’s enterprise development agencies. The paper classifies both regions and sectors in terms of their employment performance during the course of the 2011–22 period and assesses the roles of sectoral composition and
-
Governance of reform in the Irish public service Administration Pub Date : 2023-08-17 Joanna O’Riordan, Richard Boyle
In the academic literature governance is a contested term. It is about how organisations are run and the oversight and accountability that are encompassed in this process. However, it can also be viewed in terms of delivery, ‘getting things done’. In the public service this equates to implementing government policy, which is why the term is sometimes seen as synonymous with public management. Collaborative
-
‘Best advice available’ – Challenge and change in developing an optimal policy advisory system in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2023-08-17 Bernadette Connaughton, Cian Devane
The concept of a policy advisory system (PAS) is devised to study the diverse range of actors involved in the policy formulation process from a system level. An optimal PAS should be adaptable, autonomous and transparent, and should deliver substantive and timely advice. This article discusses factors influencing developments in Ireland’s PAS, including the broader trends of politicisation and externalisation
-
A road not taken? Economic ideology and the articulation of policy alternatives in Irish state economic policymaking, 1948–58 Administration Pub Date : 2023-04-22 Frank Fitzgerald
In the midst of a seemingly unending economic crisis, the period 1948–58 saw a dramatic expansion of fiscal policy in Ireland. T. K. Whitaker’s Economic Development is traditionally represented as a landmark departure behind this change from traditional Department of Finance thinking and political inertia, propelled by the perceived Keynesian ideas of his fellow younger economists. However, by assessing
-
Regional governance and regional development: Implications of the Action Programme for Effective Local Government Administration Pub Date : 2023-04-22 Proinnsias Breathnach
Since the 1980s, regional development policy in advanced economies has emphasised the promotion of endogenous development potentials within regions, with local/regional government playing a leading role in the creation of effective governance structures for mobilising these potentials. A key feature of this approach is the adoption of the city-region as the organising unit for pursuing local/regional
-
Quantitatively comparing elite formation over a century: ministers and judges Administration Pub Date : 2023-04-22 John Hogan, Sharon Feeney, Brendan K. O’Rourke
This paper employs elite formation quantitative indices to directly and transparently compare the role of the Irish secondary school system in the formation of Ireland’s political and judicial elites, over its history as an independent country (1922–2022). Whereas other elite studies have tended to compare either the same elite formation systems or the same elites, across countries, we examine the
-
A review of Ireland’s Local Property Tax Administration Pub Date : 2022-12-24 Gerard Turley
Property taxes are common in countries around the world. Until recently, Ireland was an exception as there was no annual tax on residential property. This paper is a review of the Local Property Tax (LPT) system that was introduced in 2013 and had its first property revaluations in 2021. Using the lens of municipal finance and tax assignment, the rationale, history, features and administration of this
-
How ‘cocooning’ as a public health measure was reported during the Covid-19 crisis Administration Pub Date : 2022-08-05 Catherine Gallagher
This paper explores the nature of newspaper coverage of ‘cocooning’ as a public health measure at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland in 2020. The study, which focuses on coverage in The Irish Times, shows that the number of human-interest-framed articles on cocooning was approximately four times greater than the number of informative ones. This suggests that the proportion of human-interest
-
From denial to delay: Climate change discourses in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2022-08-05 Anna Pringle, David Robbins
Climate change is acknowledged as a pressing – even existential – problem for societies around the world. Despite the growing body of scientific evidence concerning the extent and impacts of climate change, meaningful policy responses have not been forthcoming. Actors and organisations intent on preventing or diluting policies around climate action have adapted their discursive strategies, moving from
-
A new nation brand strategy? Global Ireland 2025 and the UN Security Council campaign Administration Pub Date : 2022-08-05 Madeline Boughton
This article seeks to add to the growing body of research into government-led nation branding initiatives by examining a specific case study as the driver of a new nation brand strategy for Ireland. Drawing on interviews with senior government officials, policy advisors and brand marketing executives, the author examines the ‘Global Ireland 2025’ initiative and Ireland’s campaign to win a UN Security
-
Irish audiences and news information from official sources during Covid-19 Administration Pub Date : 2022-08-05 Dawn Wheatley
Audiences exist in highly personalised, high-choice media environments built on a hybrid of established traditional brands and informal digital networks. Officials trying to reach the public must navigate such spaces, but public reluctance to consume news coverage is a challenge for health and government officials when trying to communicate with and inform the public during a national health crisis
-
Public service adaptation – Its nature and requirements Administration Pub Date : 2022-04-30 Noel Whelan
-
Ombudsman-type services – A citizen perspective Administration Pub Date : 2022-04-30 Brian Harvey
Abstract The ombudsman idea in Ireland is now almost fifty years old. This article provides a citizen perspective on several ombudsman-type institutions and services across a broad variety of fields and issues. The underlying assump -tions of ombudsman-type services are outlined, with a citizen perspective of how they work in practice. Ten illustrative case studies are provided, each followed by a
-
Sharing the Vision: Maintaining momentum for implementation Administration Pub Date : 2022-04-30 Fiona Keogh,Ella Arensman,Amanda Burke,Siobhan Ni Bhriain,Michael Ryan,Hugh Kane
-
Reviews: What does Jeremy think? Jeremy Heywood and the making of modern Britain; Diary of an MP’s wife: Inside and outside power Administration Pub Date : 2022-04-30 Dermot McCarthy
-
Reviews: City and county management in Ireland, 1929–2020 Administration Pub Date : 2022-04-30 Des Dowling
-
-
Reviews: Negotiating a settlement in Northern Ireland, 1969–2019 Administration Pub Date : 2022-04-30 Niall Ó Dochartaigh
-
-
The role of the community and voluntary sector in identifying vulnerabilities to climate change in coastal areas and implementing climate adaptation responses Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Paul Lawlor
Abstract The National Adaptation Framework aims to reduce Ireland’s vulnerability to climate change by establishing climate adaptation considerations as a priority at local, regional and national level. With coastal areas and habitats particularly susceptible to negative climate change effects, it is necessary to build resilience in these areas by devising coastal adaptation responses in collaboration
-
Irish rural social enterprises and the national policy framework Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Lucas Olmedo,Mara van Twuijver,Mary O’Shaughnessy,Alan Sloane
Abstract There is a growing recognition of the role that social enterprises play in rural areas. In Ireland this is formally acknowledged in recent social enterprises and rural development policies which commit to developing a suite of supports to realise the potential of social enterprises and strengthen their contribution to place-based sustainable rural development. However, these policies offer
-
Planning a Dublin–Belfast Economic Corridor: Networks, engagement and creating opportunities Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Eoin Magennis,Jordana Corrigan,Neale Blair,Deiric Ó Broin
Abstract Cross-border cooperation on the island of Ireland has a long history, if often a limited scope. The emergence of statutory North/South bodies after the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of 1998 added a new dynamic. This paper argues that the further development of the Dublin–Belfast Economic Corridor will require key stakeholders to engage widely, not only with a private sector whose rationale
-
Public participation in a time of crisis: A case study of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown residents’ associations’ response to Covid-19 Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Simone Sav,Colette Downing
-
Structured, formal engagement of stakeholders in public policy – The case of An Fóram Uisce (The Water Forum) Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Richard Boyle,Joanna O’Riordan,Fergal O’Leary,Laura Shannon
Abstract This paper examines the operation of An Fóram Uisce (The Water Forum) and its role as a statutory body in formally engaging stakeholders in policy deliberation at the national level. An Fóram Uisce was established in 2018 and consists of twenty-six members, including stakeholders from agriculture, fisheries, business, trade unions and environmental organisations. The research finds a number
-
Collaboratively planning climate action: What would it mean for Dublin? An analysis of the Clontarf flood defences Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Ali Grehan
-
Strategic policy committees: Talking shops or active participants in local policy development? Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Fintan Phelan
-
Politics, people and public policy: Case studies in policy engagement Administration Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Deiric Ó Broin,Jordana Corrigan
-
Cities and communities beyond COVID-19: How local leadership can change our future for the better Administration Pub Date : 2021-08-01 Naomi Blumlein
-
A design-led framework for engaged research: Using a design approach to understand and place the public at the core of health and social care Administration Pub Date : 2021-08-01 Mary Galvin,Avril Kennan,Éidín Ní Shé
Abstract This paper offers a multi-perspective approach on the role of engaged research in health and social care. Each of the authors focuses on their individual experiences of this domain, from the perspective of an academic partner of the Health Research Board’s PPI Ignite programme, a CEO of an umbrella organisation for health research charities and a researcher in design innovation, focusing on
-
From the community handywomen to frontline heroes: Charting a century of Irish nursing and midwifery regulation Administration Pub Date : 2021-08-01 Denis Murphy,Kim Gilligan,Derek Watson
Abstract This paper argues that professional regulatory frameworks are shaped by sociocultural factors and prevailing ideologies that stem from society’s interactions with and expectations of the regulated professions. Taking a century of Irish nursing and midwifery regulation as a case reflection, the paper highlights five regulatory pivot points to provide a historical narrative of how adopting a
-
The gender pay gap in Revenue Administration Pub Date : 2021-08-01 Jean Acheson,Michael Collins
Abstract This paper analyses gender and pay in Revenue, one of the largest public sector employers in the state, and identifies a mean gender pay gap of 16 per cent. Once the civil service grade, working patterns, the type of pay scale, the point on pay scale, and the level of non-basic pay are considered, the gender pay gap is eliminated. When decomposed using the Blinder-Oaxaca method, approximately
-
Strengthening the structures to support research for public policy in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2021-08-01 Mary Doyle
-
Navigating indifference: Irish jobseekers’ experiences of welfare conditionality Administration Pub Date : 2021-05-01 Philip Finn
Abstract This paper analyses the impact of the intensification of work-related conditionality on the lived experience of jobseekers in Ireland. Post-crisis Ireland has witnessed the emergence of a definitive policy trajectory which seeks to enable a lifelong attachment to the labour force through work-related conditionality buttressed by sanctions. This mode of governing unemployment attempts a restructuring
-
Introduction: The dual tracks of welfare and activation reform – Governance and conditionality Administration Pub Date : 2021-05-01 Michael McGann,Mary P. Murphy
-
Opening the black box of implementing activation in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2021-05-01 Nuala Whelan
Abstract This paper focuses on Ireland’s ‘activation turn’ and the roll-out of the Pathways to Work policy, contextualising these reforms within recent international developments in activation. Using a qualitative approach, the study explores the perceptions of a range of key stakeholders – jobseekers, employment guidance practitioners, employment service managers, ancillary services and policymakers
-
Moving towards a more tailored Public Employment Service? Administration Pub Date : 2021-05-01 Helen Johnston,Anne-Marie McGauran
Abstract In this paper the authors draw on a qualitative study of low-work-intensity households in a disadvantaged suburb of Dublin in 2016–17 to identify some of the gaps in Ireland’s reformed ‘one-stop shop’ Public Employment Service. Drawing on the issues recognised as being required in an integrated Public Employment Service, the paper draws attention to gaps in information; training; services
-
Sacrificial citizens? Activation and retrenchment in Ireland’s political economy Administration Pub Date : 2021-05-01 Fiona Dukelow
Abstract This article provides a critical commentary on Irish activation policy. It is framed with reference to the point made in Pathways to Work 2016–2020 that a key purpose of activation is ‘to help ensure a supply of labour at competitive rates’. It looks at how a tougher work-first activation regime can be situated within the wider landscape of reform and retrenchment in the social protection
-
Arguments for a post-pandemic Public Employment Eco System in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2021-05-01 Mary P. Murphy
Abstract The past was a different country, and the future will be different too. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought in its wake massive unemployment, shifting attention away from pre-pandemic labour market challenges. More labour market turbulence can be expected in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, digitalisation and automation, as well as climate-change-related transitions. In this
-
‘Double activation’: Workfare meets marketisation Administration Pub Date : 2021-05-01 Michael McGann
Abstract Since the financial crisis, Ireland’s welfare state has been reorientated around a regulatory, ‘work-first’ activation model. Claimants now face penalty rates for non-compliance with activation requirements that have been significantly extended since 2009. Alongside these formal policy reforms, the organisations delivering Public Employment Services, and the modes by which they are commissioned
-
Programme of organisational capability reviews – Findings and learnings Administration Pub Date : 2021-02-01 Gerry Cribbin
-
-
The changing map of subnational governance in the Republic of Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2021-02-01 Proinnsias Breathnach,Eoin O’Mahony,Chris van Egeraat
Abstract The evolution of the territorial structure of Ireland’s system of local government during the period of colonial rule by England is outlined. The independence period saw little change in this structure until the abolition of municipal-level government in 2014, reflecting the very marginal role of devolved administration in Ireland’s political system. The creation and functioning of regional-level
-
Reforming local government: Past, present and future Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Mark Callanan
Abstract Reform of local government in Ireland has tended to involve both reform initiatives that mirror broader trends in public service reform nationally, as well as reform initiatives that are distinctive to the local government sector. Amongst the former we can include managerial reforms, digitisation and efforts to make local government more open and accountable. Other initiatives have included
-
Reflections on continuity and change in public service reform in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Dermot McCarthy
Abstract This article reviews the elements of continuity in the approach to public service reform in Ireland and of change in expectations of public service performance in Ireland over recent decades. It concludes that supporting democratic governance is the primary goal of public service and that trust in its capacity to meet society’s needs is the most appropriate criterion to assess reform programmes
-
The role of the ‘centre’ in public service reform Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Muiris MacCarthaigh
Abstract Amongst his many interests in public administration, the practical and challenging task of implementing and evaluating public service reform has been a consistent feature of the oeuvre of research over Richard Boyle’s career (cf. Boyle, 2004, 2016; Boyle & Joyce, 1988; Boyle & Lemaire, 1999; Boyle & MacCarthaigh, 2011). In this article, the focus is on the role played by the ‘centre’ in public
-
Quality assurance in Irish schools: Inspection and school self-evaluation Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Gerry McNamara, Joe O’Hara, Martin Brown, Irene Quinn
Abstract In this paper, we provide an overview of the development of school inspection in Ireland over the past twenty years using the analytic and critical lens developed by Richard Boyle in partnership with the current authors. The paper is fundamentally a reflection on the nature, purpose and operation of evaluation in the Irish public sector through the lens of education. The paper provides a historical
-
Building transformative capability through civil service reform Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Peter Thomas
Abstract This article explores the importance of capability building to the success of public service reforms. It draws on the neglected literature on capability to explore how capability is a product (or not) of the interaction between the skills, experience and methods of an individual – and the culture, structures, processes of the organisation they work in. The analysis identifies four key features
-
Leading public service reform: Some reflections Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Robert Watt, Michael Perkins
Abstract The past decade has been a period of intense reform, bookended by two crises of seismic proportions – the troika bailout of Ireland in 2010 and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. This paper details the reforms which have been led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform over the past decade. Also, drawing on Robert Watt’s reflections of leading public service reform, it sets out lessons
-
Corporate governance in the public sector: Reflections on experience in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Aidan Horan, Michael Mulreany
Abstract The article proceeds from the context for corporate governance in the public sector in Ireland. It examines the adoption and evolution of corporate governance guidance, standards and codes, and focuses on the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. In reflecting on the scope and depth of the provisions of the state body code, the article points to various implementation challenges
-
The reform of human resource management in the Irish public service Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 William K. Roche, Joanna O’Riordan
Abstract This paper reviews human resource management (HRM) reforms in the Irish public service over the past twenty-five years. The narrative is based around five HRM themes which have been the main focus of public service reform efforts: performance management, public service careers, leadership, strategic HRM and employment relations. The paper examines all available independent empirical research
-
Reflections on post-bailout policy analysis in Ireland Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Mary Murphy, John Hogan
Abstract This short article reflects on observations from the forthcoming volume Policy Analysis in Ireland, edited by Hogan & Murphy. The volume forms part of the International Library of Policy Analysis series, which covers more than twenty countries, published by Policy Press and edited by Michael Howlett and Iris Geva-May. While various themes emerge from the Irish volume, this article focuses
-
Implementing choice-based models of social service: The importance of involving people who use services in reform processes Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 John Healy, Madeleine Clarke
Abstract This article focuses on the opportunities and challenges of introducing choice-based models of social services. Research has found that these models often provide better outcomes and are cost-effective, but the pace of their introduction is generally slow. There are often very deeply held assumptions about the capacity of the people using these services and the potential for change within
-
Reform and policymaking: Theory and practice in the Irish housing context Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Paul Umfreville, Lorcan Sirr
Abstract It is often a crisis that is the necessary catalyst for change, and the financial crash provided the stimulus for the recent raft of public sector reforms since 2010. A new decade provides an opportunity to assess the reforms, and to question where the reform around housing sits in relation to theoretical approaches to the policy process. The Irish public policy process is the result of a
-
Hindsight, insight and foresight: Some reflections on reforming the public service Administration Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Richard Boyle
Abstract This article starts off by presenting a brief history of public service reform initiatives in Ireland, at both central and local government level, from the foundation of the state to the present day. Reasons for the reforms and the main issues addressed are highlighted. Common themes are identified. These common themes provide the basis for identifying and examining five enduring reform challenges:
-
A review of citizen engagement in our public service Administration Pub Date : 2020-08-01 Maura Adshead,Richard Boyle,Anne Colgan
-
Tom Hardiman Administration Pub Date : 2020-08-01 Joanna O’Riordan
Tom Hardiman, who died in May 2020, made a significant contribution to Irish public life, most notably as Director General of RTÉ, but also in an impressively wide-ranging number of public policy areas, including industrial development, higher education, tele communications and international relations. Tom commenced his career with the then Radio Éireann in 1952 soon after graduating from University
-
Participatory governance in Ireland: Institutional innovation and the quest for joined-up thinking Administration Pub Date : 2020-08-01 Catherine Forde
Abstract At a time when governments are grappling with increasingly complex problems, state-led participatory processes that facilitate citizen and community voice in decision-making and policymaking have become more common at national, regional and local government levels. In Ireland, citizen participation in government has achieved prominence in the last thirty years with the introduction of social