Public Administration And Public Policy In Ireland

A comprehensive introduction to public policy and administration in Ireland. It covers all the main theories and methods associated with public administration and public policy and illustrates these with a wide variety of case studies.

A comprehensive introduction to public policy and administration in Ireland. It covers all the main theories and methods associated with public administration and public policy and illustrates these with a wide variety of case studies.

Leading Irish academics and policy practitioners present a current and comprehensive study of policy analysis in Ireland. Contributors examine policy analysis at different levels of government and governance including international, national and local and in the civil service, as well as non-government actors such as NGOs, interest groups and think tanks. They investigate the influential roles of the European Union, the public, science, quantitative evidence, the media and gender expertise in policy analysis. Surveying the history and evolution of public policy analysis in Ireland, this authoritative text addresses the current state of the discipline, identifies post-crisis developments and considers future challenges for policy analysis.

Law and Public Administrative in Ireland provides a comprehensive account of an area of law which is conceptually difficult. In examining the key themes and concepts of Irish administrative law, along with the application to real cases, the book clarifies and enlivens this crucial area of law. It provides an up-to-date analysis of the core grounds of judicial review, incorporating landmark post-Celtic Tiger era decisions concerning procedural fairness. Underlining the ever evolving nature of administrative law, the book evaluates recent refinements to traditional concepts and distinctions, such as the borderline between an error of law and an error of fact, legitimate expectation, and the obligation to take relevant matters into account. The rising importance of the European legal instruments receives a direct examination, with the book charting the emerging use of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights, and how international perspectives have impacted traditional concepts and approaches to the subject. Law and Public Administrative in Ireland displays the breadth and diversity of Irish administrative law, supplying an analysis of many legislative reforms and legal innovations which followed Ireland's economic downturn. The book explores both the law and the factors informing it, looking at the policy choices which have shaped the Irish administrative State. It reflects upon the efforts to strengthen parliamentary scrutiny over the administrative state as well as critically reviewing the role of non-judicial bodies, including the Office of the Ombudsman and Public Inquiries. The landmark reform of the institutional structures of local government in the Local Government Reform Act 2014, including changes to the planning and development, are analyzed for the first time. The book provides an account of this complex area of law which is both accessible and contextual, making it an invaluable text for both students and academics. The scope of the material covered is highly relevant to those studying administrative law.

The articles in this book were first broadcast as Thomas Davis lectures on RTE Radio to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Institute of Public Administration. The authors, drawn from civil service, local government and healthcare sectors, as well as academia, have diverse experience at the highest levels.

The role of public administration and social justice is an area long overlooked in Ireland and more broadly in Europe, though it is somewhat more developed in the USA. This book addresses that gap and presents an original work, drawing on a broad range of conceptual material as well as empirical experiences in Ireland. It focuses on the role of the administrative system as a social justice actor in its own right, with its own dispositions and value systems. In taking this approach the book establishes a conceptual and practical justification for public administration to be proactive in pursuing social justice outcomes. The book is relevant not only to those studying public administration but also to those interested in social policy and social justice. It will be of benefit both to academics in these areas as well as to students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, policy makers and civil society groups.

This book presents a study of the relationship between Cabinet-level Ministers and top civil servants in Ireland. The nature of this relationship can potentially have far-reaching effects on people’s lives as it can influence the type of public policy agreed at top levels of government. A total of sixteen interviews were carried out for the research, eight with retired Cabinet-level Ministers and eight with retired Secretaries General of Irish government departments. Anonymity, not just for the participants but also for the government departments in which they had served, was vital to the success of the research. Also vital was the fact that only retirees were interviewed as this removed the fear for participants that their careers might suffer if they spoke too frankly. The result is a collection of interviews containing frank and open views on the relationship between Ministers and their officials and on how this relationship influences public policy development.