Tubridy, DanielDanielTubridyLennon, MickMickLennon2021-08-202021-08-202021-03-18Local Environment1354-9839http://hdl.handle.net/10197/12441Managed retreat raises important questions of both risk and responsibility. These include what risks are addressed and/or exacerbated through retreat and whether retreat might function as a byword for state withdrawal and the individualisation of responsibility. In response, the aim of this paper is to understand the implications of shifts in the perceived balance of responsibilities between the state and private actors for managing the risks and vulnerabilities associated with managed retreat. The paper draws upon an analysis of two household relocation schemes which took place in County Galway, Ireland in 1995 and 2009. This analysis highlights a range of factors which contribute to vulnerability and risk and which are traced to underlying conflicts regarding responsibility. These factors both put people at risk initially, leading to demands for relocation, and create new risks through a failure to effectively manage the relocation process. It is argued that the approach to relocation in Ireland reflects a neoliberal approach that responds to political and financial pressures upon the state and temporarily resolves some immediate risks for property owners but fails to address the underlying drivers of risk. The aggregate effects of such shifting responsibilities are to amplify existing and produce new vulnerabilities for communities impacted by flooding.enThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Local Environment on 18 March 2020, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13549839.2021.1901268.Managed retreatFlood risk managementRoll-back neoliberalismIrelandJournal Article26451753310.1080/13549839.2021.19012682021-02-1813/RC/2092https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/