Inequality

The aim of this chapter is to analyse the impact of austerity policies on levels of economic inequality in the Republic of Ireland. Although the focus of the chapter is on economic inequality, the effects of austerity were not only economic; they were cultural, social, political and embodied (Coulter and Nagle, 2015). They found expression in anxieties and fears about unemployment, emigration, poverty and debt, all of which adversely impacted on emotional and mental health (Cronin, 2015, Mental Health Commission, 2011). The harms of austerity have been visible on the streets through increased homelessness and begging, in the distressed calls to national radio stations and help lines, in letters, comments and articles in newspapers and social media, and in Dáil questions and expositions. Thus, this chapter sets out to identify the inequality impact of the socializing of private debt arising from the collapse of the Irish banking sector. It will focus on how and why austerity impacted on living standards, especially among more politically powerless groups, highlighting increases in levels of economic insecurity that are not measurable by income alone.