Tackling Low Income and Deprivation: Developing Effective Policies

This study examines options for the future development of the Irish welfare state, with a view to tackling low income and deprivation more effectively. The structure of Ireland's welfare state is put in international context, and a review of demographic developments and prospects helps to clarify the nature of future challenges for the system. Policy issues arising for the main 'vulnerable groups' identified in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion are then considered in depth, as are issues of the spatial distribution of poverty. Finally, the potential impacts of alternative large-scale policy reform packages are explored, using SWITCH, the ESRI tax-benefit model.