Civil Society in the Shadow of the Irish State

Abstract

The dominant perception is that Irish society has responded to the current economic crisis in a relatively muted, moderate and passive fashion. How can we explain this apparent absence of political contestation or protest in Irish civil society? Various cultural and historical explanations can partially explain this apparent passivity; the approach here complements these explanations by exploring the institutional nature of the Irish state as an explanatory factor for the nature of the Irish civil society response to the crisis. Having first defined civil society and explored the scale and scope of Irish civil society, the article focuses on whether, or to what extent, the relative absence of a progressive civil society or movements can be partially attributed to the institutional nature of the Irish state. Five institutional or state-centred rationales are offered: the populist nature of Irish political parties; patterns of interest group formation; clientalism; corporatism; and state strategies to silence dissent. The impact on civil society of the increased marketisation of public goods is briefly discussed. The article argues that more critical awareness in civil society of how populist state institutions influence civil society will open up new possibilities for civil society strategies. It concludes by examining how institutions, interests and ideas might change. Society needs to develop a greater public sphere where cross-sectoral progressive alliances can demonstrate popular support for alternatives.

Irish civil society: rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic? A case study of fighting Irish social security retrenchment

“…Others point to the nature of education and an absence of citizenship education, and others to the 'safety valve' of emigration as explanations for civil society passivity. More find explanation in the 1920s civil war and an absence of class cleavage in Irish society leading to the under-formation of the Irish political left (Murphy, 2012).…”

“…The corporatist nature of the Irish state has also the capacity to co-opt or silence civil society. Key organizations have participated in a long social partnership with the state which has left a legacy of interdependence between the state and civil society (Murphy, 2012). Over decades, organizations have grown comfortable and skilled in a particular style of campaigning and enjoyed a significant level of access, even if over time the same level of access sits alongside declining influence.…”

“…Mainstream Irish and global media have welcomed what they perceive as Irish civil society's stoicism and maturity in the face crisis (as is the Financial Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair and the International Monetary Fund (Murphy, 2012)). Others described an 'extraordinarily moderate and passive society ' (O'Brien, 2011, p. 15), or a 'passive' and 'demobilized' citizenry (Mair, 2010, p. 7).…”

“…Others described an 'extraordinarily moderate and passive society ' (O'Brien, 2011, p. 15), or a 'passive' and 'demobilized' citizenry (Mair, 2010, p. 7). Such perceptions of passivity in Irish civil society are contested by many (Allen & O'Boyle, 2013;Cannon & Murphy, 2015;Carney, Scharf, Timonen, & Conlon, 2014;Cox, 2012;Fraser, Murphy, & Kelly, 2013;Hearne, 2015;Kirby & Murphy, 2011;Murphy, 2012). Hearne's (2015) analysis of Irish 'crisis' protests shows less passivity than often assumed and some successful 'single issue' roll back.…”

Gendering the Narrative of the Irish Crisis

“…Lone parents comprise a significant proportion (over 50 per cent) of both the social housing list and RS recipients, and are disproportionately impacted. Various statutory initiatives have diminished civil society's capacity to be socially transformative and women's interest groups and service delivery groups have been hit disproportionately in this regard (Murphy, 2012). Cuts of up to 40 per cent can be compared to wider cuts in government expenditure of 7 per cent over the same period, with domestic violence refuges and childcare supports particularly impacted (Harvey, 2014).…”