Public Opinion, Politics and Society in Contemporary Ireland

Public Opinion, Politics and Society in Contemporary Ireland
Author: Pat Lyons
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780716529415

This book demonstrates what the polling evidence tells us about changes in Irish opinion since 1970 towards key issues: The economy - has the Celtic tiger economy changed Irish citizens? --- Northern Ireland - have aspirations for a united Ireland disappeared with the peace process? --- The Liberal agenda - has Ireland become less conservative and a more tolerant society on issues such as divorce, abortion, and homosexuality? --- European integration - have Irish attitudes toward the EU changed since accession in 1973? The main source of data used in this research is media commissioned opinion polls that have been undertaken on behalf of The Irish Times and Independent Newspapers Ltd by Irish Marketing Services (IMS), Lansdowne Market Research, and the Market Research Bureau (MRBI). Using a variety of techniques, this book investigates the success of opinion polls in predicting election outcomes and some key factors underpinning political satisfaction ratings. It demonstrates that while there has been considerable socio-economic change in Ireland, there has been much stability in public opinion. An important puzzle is also addressed - why is public opinion on many issues, as measured in polls, inconsistent? This study shows that quite often the public does not have overarching views but has instead bundles of opinion. The book concludes that opinion polls do provide a unique and valuable insight into Irish public opinion, however, poll results do not speak for themselves and need to be interpreted with care.

Famine, Land, and Politics

Famine, Land, and Politics
Author: Peter Gray
Publisher:
Total Pages: 404
Release: 1999
Genre: History
ISBN:

Explores the response of British government and public opinion to the Irish Famine in the light of contemporary debates about the nature and future of Irish society. The ideological filters through which the famine was perceived are discussed and the effects of the ideological rifts within the British elite are examined. The author argues that the politics of `relief' had been predetermined by English views of Irish society. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Contemporary Ireland

Contemporary Ireland
Author: Eoin O'Malley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2017-08-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230343821

In the last quarter century, Ireland has experienced dramatic political and economic change. This broad-ranging text provides an accessible and up-to-date introduction to Irish society, politics and culture, as well as developments in its economy and place in Europe and the world.

Ireland and the Politics of Change

Ireland and the Politics of Change
Author: William J. Crotty
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2014-06-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317881176

Ireland and the Politics of Change provides a timely assessment of the fundamental changes that have occurred in Irish society over the last several decades from the standpoint of their political significance. There is a particular concern with the leadership role of government and other political institutions in stimulating, managing and responding to the changes taking place that are of fundamental importance to understanding contemporary politics and today's Ireland in the world community. Considerable social, economic, demographic and international change has taken place within Ireland (and Northern Ireland) and without in relation to the rest of the world, and particularly in response to the association with the European Union. Ireland and the Politics of Change examines institutional developments, economic forces, demographic and attitudinal profiles and group-based (religious, gender, class) concerns as they have evolved and assesses their significance for policy enactment and political representation.

Abortion and Nation

Abortion and Nation
Author: Lisa Smyth
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2017-03-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351961217

Abortion politics are contentious and divisive in many parts of the world, but nowhere more so than in Ireland. Abortion and Nation examines the connection between abortion politics and hegemonic struggles over national identity and the nation-state in the Irish Republic. Situating the abortion question in the global context of human rights politics, as well as international social movements, Lisa Smyth analyses the formation and transformation of abortion politics in Ireland from the early 1980s to the present day. She considers whether or not the shifting connections between morality, rights and nationhood promise a new era of gender equality in the context of nation-state citizenship. The book provides a new sociological framework through which the significance of conflict over abortion and reproductive freedom is connected to conflict over national identity. It also offers a distinctive in-depth consideration of the connection between gender and nationhood, particularly in terms of its impact on women's status as citizens; within the nation-state; within the European Union; and as members of a global civil society.

Public Opinion and Internationalized Governance

Public Opinion and Internationalized Governance
Author: Oskar Niedermayer
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 508
Release: 1995-12-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191521043

The way we are governed is no longer decided on a purely national level. This book systematically explores the attitudes of European publics to this internationalization of governance. Trends and sources of support for European integration are examined. Are positive attitudes due to hand-outs from Brussels, or to the economic benefits of the single market? What is the role of class, of education, and of leadership? Is there a European identity and a basic level of intra-European trust? How do problems of subsidiarity and of democratic deficit affect legitimacy and how do all of these issues relate to the role of the nation-state? Among other issues, the analysis also looks at enlargement, at EFTA, at Central and Eastern Europe and at attitudes to NATO both before and after 1989. The problems are examined from the different perspectives of integration theory, of international relations, and of comparative politics and a final chapter spells out the implications for the future of European governance. Series description This set of five volumes is an exhaustive study of beliefs in government in post-war Europe. Based upon an extensive collection of survey evidence, the results challenge widely argued theories of mass opinion, and much scholarly writing about citizen attitudes towards government and politics. The series arises from a research project sponsored by the European Science Foundation. Reviews of the series: `The quality of the empirical analysis is consistently high...[an] important collection of empirical studies addressing the debate about the "crisis of representation" in Europe.' Journal of Public Policy `These volumes contain the work of many of the most important scholars in the field of public opinion in Europe today...These five volumes represent a major contribution to comparative politics, especially the study of mass politics. The chapters provide a wealth of information about public opinion in contemporary Europe and the relationship between state and society...The volumes clearly will be read by all students of European politics...' Times Educational Supplement `The Beliefs in Government series is a monumental achievement. It tells us at least everything we want to know about the structure of European public opinion'. The Good Society Reviews of Public Opinion and Internationalized Governance `a tremendously integrated piece of work, reflecting genuine collaboration on the part of the editors and the contributors... This book gives an insight into the legitimacy of a whole host of integrative processes and integration outcomes, and as a result deserves to find its way onto appropriate academic reading lists....a fascinating and sobering read'. Times Higher Educational Supplement `an important contribution to the current debates, both political and scholarly...certainly the most ambitious and comprehensive study to date of this range of problems, and their findings will have to be taken into account by all serious students of European integration'. Political Studies

Party and Parish Pump

Party and Parish Pump
Author: R. Carty
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0889208646

“My attention was drawn to Ireland by footnotes,” writes the author. “Over and over again the literature of comparative politics noted simply ‘except in Ireland’.... The question that puzzled me was, Why should this be so?” Professor Carty’s answers to the question appear in this detailed study that sheds new light on the question of establishing democratic politics after a war of independence, on the impact of electoral laws on party competition, on the social bases of political competition, and on the way political machines work in modern democracies. As a case study the book also analyzes the peculiarly conservative syndrome into which Irish politics has fallen. Carty concludes that political institutions and the activities of politicians make a considerable difference to the organization and conduct of public life. The book will interest students of comparative politics, history, and political sociology, as well as those concerned with the shape and direction of society and politics in contemporary Ireland.