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Irish Water Services Reform: Past, Present and Future

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The Irish Welfare State in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Fiona Dukelow analyses the reform of water services in Ireland as a case study of how public services are being transformed in the context of crisis and austerity, amplifying already blurred public/private distinctions in their definition, financing and provision. The chapter also draws attention to how the reform of water services has been problematic and the focus of the strongest mobilisation against austerity. Concentrating on changes to how water services are paid for and delivered, attention is paid to processes of commodification, commercialisation, privatisation and financialisation. The chapter concludes that reforms are reflective of a move towards a market environmentalist model; however, their implementation to date have resulted in particularly regressive policy measures which, as well as being socially inequitable, are economically inefficient and financially and environmentally unsustainable.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Author’s calculations using the same household income data as McDonnell (2014).

  2. 2.

    €30 for a single adult household for each year in arrears; €60 for households of two or more adults per year, Water Services Act 2014 Section 4.

  3. 3.

    As provided for in the Civil Debt (Procedures) Act 2015.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, Ireland

    Fiona Dukelow

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  1. Fiona Dukelow
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Correspondence to Fiona Dukelow .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland

    Mary P. Murphy

  2. School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    Fiona Dukelow

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Dukelow, F. (2016). Irish Water Services Reform: Past, Present and Future. In: Murphy, M., Dukelow, F. (eds) The Irish Welfare State in the Twenty-First Century. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57138-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57138-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

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