Interests, institutions and ideas: explaining Irish social security policy

The focus of this article is the interaction of institutions, interests and ideas as explanatory factors for change and continuity in welfare regimes. The case study of the politics of Irish social security (1986-2010) explores how and why the Irish social security system has diverged from the United Kingdom (UK) and liberal regimes. The argument favours a balanced explanation over institutional explanations, which stress corporatism as the explanatory factor for the Irish case. This more integrated approach enables a fuller consideration of the impact that seismic political change may have on Irish and UK social security reform and allows greater understanding about conditions underlying stability and change in social policy.