Welfare state development in the context of European integration and economic convergence: situating Ireland within the European Union context

Convergence towards the European Community average on key economic dimensions was the dominant objective of Ireland's entry into the Community in 1973 and is now central to the admission aspirations of the applicant countries. This article outlines key aspects of Ireland's economic convergence and the associated policy choices. It examines whether its welfare state is converging towards the European Union average in expenditure and selected distributional outcomes and discusses its welfare regime characterisation. The simultaneous processes of economic convergence and maintenance of traditional social policy patterns are identified, as are differences between the economic development and distributional roles of the state.