Greening the Irish State: early legislative and administrative dynamics

John Biggins, Muiris MacCarthaigh, Colin Scott

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Abstract

The establishment of Saorstát Éireann (the Irish Free State) in 1922 did not herald a fundamental overhaul of the administrative machinery inherited from Whitehall and Dublin Castle. Path dependent continuities in legislation and executive orders underpinned the new dispensation. At the same time, a process of evolutionary change, which we call ‘administrative greening’, was underway. Drawing on data in the Irish State Administration Database (ISAD), and building on our analysis in Biggins et al. (2024a), we explore these dynamics of both continuity and change in the formative years of the new state’s public administration. In so doing, we attest to patterns of normative production and reproduction, illustrated with reference to a number legislative and administrative examples.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)187-205
JournalIrish Political Studies
Volume39
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Apr 2024

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This work is licensed under Queen’s Research Publications and Copyright Policy.

Keywords

  • Ireland
  • Public Administration
  • Independence
  • Legislation
  • Continuity
  • Evolution

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