Irish Neoliberalism and Neoliberal Urban Policy

Abstract

This chapter examines the infusion of neoliberalism into Ireland during the 1980s through its initial influence at central-government level, its forced intrusion into local administration and its consequences for the trajectory of urban policy and planning, pointing to several of the topics which are examined in greater depth in subsequent chapters. It reveals that while many of the policies pursued in Ireland by central government and local administrations reflected the more general elements of neoliberalism, there also existed significant differences which occurred in response to unique national circumstances.