Social Policy, Ageing and Voluntary Action examines the role of voluntary organisations in the welfare of older people in contemporary welfare states. It provides a unique and original comparative vantage point by drawing on research comparing policy on ageing and the development of the voluntary sector in Ireland’s two jurisdictions. It finds many similarities in the two Irish welfare states and argues that in countries which privilege private wealth creation, and prefer a market-driven system of wealth delivery and private solutions to collective social problems, voluntary action will be both widespread and politically weak. The book provides:
- A detailed comparative analysis of policy on ageing in the two Irish jurisdictions.
- Maps and analyses the nature of voluntary action on ageing in Ireland, North and South.
- Places this analysis in the wider European context.
- Proposes a new theoretical approach for understanding the politics of voluntary action.
It will be of interest to public administrators and academics in Ireland, the UK and further afield. It will be of value to students of comparative and European social policy and of voluntary action in contemporary welfare states.