Ireland under austerity

Colin Coulter is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Maynooth UniversityAngela Nagle received her PhD from Dublin City University, and is a contributor to the Dublin Review of Books, the Atlantic and the Irish Times

‘The word austerity, with its hint of a decent plainness and admirable self-discipline, is one of the more fraudulent of contemporary euphemisms. As this compelling volume suggests, it is rather a question of violence, deprivation and despair, as the powerful and privileged once more unload their problems on to the poor. There are many fine books around, but few are as urgently necessary as this one.’Professor Terry Eagleton, Distinguished Professor of English at Lancaster University and Professor of Cultural Theory at NUI Galway

• 1. Introduction – Colin CoulterSection A: The political economy of crisis in Ireland2. False economy: the financialisation of Ireland and the roots of austerity – Conor McCabe3. Interpretations of the Irish economic crash – Kieran Allen4. The perfect storm: crisis, capitalism and democracy – Sinead Kennedy5. Ireland and the new economy – Angela NagleSection B: Casualties of the crisis in Ireland6. Ireland’s disappeared: suicide, violence and austerity – Michael Cronin7. The impact of the crisis on Irish women – Alison Spillane8. Defiance and hope: austerity and the community sector in the Republic of Ireland – John Bissett9. All aboard the Migration Nation – Gavan TitleySection C: Lessons from the crisis for the Irish Left10. Lessons from the era of social partnership for the Irish labour movement – Francisco Arqueros11. Ireland, the Left and the European Union – Daniel Finn12. Business is too important to be left to Irish business – Michael TaftIndex