Power to the People? Assessing Democracy in Ireland

One of the most interesting facts about Irish people is that in a time of stark inequalities, we demonstrate a strangely egalitarian view of democracy and a relatively high level of satisfaction with the way Irish democracy is developing. This is the kind of paradox that this report highlights.

In Power to the People? Assessing Democracy in Ireland, authors Ian Hughes, Paula Clancy, Clodagh Harris and David Beetham have undertaken the first ever comprehensive assessment of the state of democracy in Ireland. It is one of a number of similar democracy assessments which have been undertaken around the world, most recently in countries as far apart as the Netherlands and Mongolia.

The approach taken in the audit research methodology designed by the intergovernmental institute (IDEA), is to pose critical questions about all aspects of democracy and to provide a nuanced answer to each og these questions. The kinds of questions asked are:

• Do citizens have a real say in how the country is run?
• Whose interests are best represented in our political institutions?
• Is the citizen's right to healthcare, education and housing equally provided to all?

Table of contents:

Citizenship, Law and Rights

• One: Nationhood and Citizenship: Is there public agreement on a common citizenship without discrimination?
• Two: The Rule of Law and Access to Justice: Are state and society consistently subject to the law?
• Three: Civil and Political Rights: Are civil and political rights equally guaranteed for all?
• Four: Economic and Social Rights: Are economic and social rights equally guaranteed for all?

Representative and Accountable Government

• Five: Free and Fair Elections: Do elections give the people control over governments and their policies?
• Six: Democratic Role of Political Parties: Does the party system assist the working of democracy?
• Seven: Government Effectiveness and Accountability: Is government effective and accountable to the people and their representatives?
• Eight: Civilian Control of the Military and Police: Are the military and police forces under civilian control?
• Nine: Integrity in Public Life: Are public officials, elected or appointed, free from corruption?

Civil Society and Popular Participation

• Ten: The Media in a Democratic Society: Do the media operate in a way that sustains democratic values?
• Eleven: Political Participation: Is there full citizen participation in public life?
• Twelve: Government Responsiveness: Is government responsive to the concerns of its citizens?
• Thirteen: Democratic Local Politics: Does local politics contribute to the vitality of the country's democracy?

Democracy Beyond the State

• Fourteen: International Dimensions of Democracy: Are the country's external relations conducted in accordance with democratic norms, and is it itself free from external subordination?

Conclusions