The Politics of Regulation in Ireland

There has been a global trend towards greater dependence on regulation since the 1980s. This chapter examines how this has played out in Ireland. Ireland offers an interesting case study of regulatory governance because of the long-standing practice of delegating key welfare functions to NGOs, which established the early Irish state as regulator as well as direct service provider. Subsequently, changes in state structures align to wider global trends towards regulatory governance. Nevertheless, there are also particular national characteristics, with significant weaknesses in regulatory capacity and with respect to accountability. Arguably, the global financial crisis, and the ensuing crises that hit Ireland from 2008, have shifted regulation towards a less exceptional model, with better established independent capacity over financial regulation, and, following a longer trend, growing independent provision for overseeing government. Within Ireland, there is a growing recognition that effective regulation of business and government is becoming a core doctrine.