Changing Ireland in International Comparison

It is now widely recognised that Irish society has been transformed radically over the past two decades. Indeed, a large number of books have been published on the phenomenon, some celebrating the countrys achievements, some analysing the origins and outcomes of the boom, and many criticising what is perceived as a failure to use the new affluence to eliminate social inequality. However, there has been little attempt to set the Celtic Tiger years in a comparative international context. Changing Ireland in International Comparison fills this gap in our knowledge.

Based on data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), an international co-operative project of cross-national survey research carried out on an annual basis across 41 countries, the book comprises an analysis of social and attitudinal change in Ireland over a period of unprecedented societal transformation, by a group of experts from the Social Science Research Centre, UCD and their eminent associate, Michael Hout, Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley.

The book provides a unique source of measuring attitudes before and after the boom on a variety of important themes in international comparison at a crucial time of increasing globalisation. Three main areas are covered: economic aspects of change; family and gender; and cultural change. Changing Ireland in International Comparison is an essential reference for lecturers and students of social science, as well as policy-makers, commentators and anybody interested in today's Ireland.