The politics of institutional reform in Ireland: Lessons of the 1982–87 government

Abstract

This article considers the experience of recent attempts to reform the Irish public service. It explores the concept of professionalism in public administration and shows that the issue of institutional reform has traditionally been regarded as a technical or managerial rather than a political one in Ireland. It argues that the attempts of the 1982–87 government at institutional reform, whilst sincere, continued this pattern and as such were doomed to failure.