Europeanisation and new patterns of governance in Ireland

This book examines the impact of Europeanisation on Ireland and questions the validity of the common assumption that Europeanisation was the cause of Ireland's dramatic political and economical transformation.

This book examines the impact of Europeanisation on Ireland and questions the validity of the common assumption that Europeanisation was the cause of Ireland's dramatic political and economical transformation.

To what extent did Europeanisation contribute to Ireland’s transformation from ‘poor relation’ to ‘peer idol’? This book examines how Europeanisation affected Irish policy-making and implementation and how Ireland maximised the policy opportunities arising from membership of the EU while preserving embedded patterns of political behaviour. It focuses on the complex interplay of European, domestic and global factors as the explanation for the changing character of the ‘Celtic Tiger’.The authors demonstrate that, although Europeanisation spurred significant institutional and policy change, domestic forces filtered those consequences while global factors induced further adaptation. By identifying and assessing the adaptational pressures in a range of policy areas the book establishes that, in tandem with the European dimension, domestic features and global developments were key determinants of change and harbingers of new patterns of governance.

Preface and acknowledgementsList of abbreviations and Irish terms1. Ireland and the European Union – Nicholas Rees, Bríd Quinnand Bernadette Connaughton2. Europeanisation: a catalyst for change – Nicholas Rees andBernadette Connaughton3. Mediating forces and the domestic polity – Bríd Quinn and Bernadette Connaughton4. Political institutions and administrative adaptation – Bernadette Connaughton5. The Irish economy and Europe – Nicholas Rees6. Regional policy and politics – Bríd Quinn7. The politics of environmental policy – Bernadette Connaughton8. Does the CAP fit? Agriculture policy in Ireland and the EU – Bríd Quinn9. Ireland’s foreign relations – Nicholas Rees10. Conclusions: institutional learning and adaptation to Europe – Nicholas Rees, Bríd Quinn and Bernadette ConnaughtonBibliographyIndex