Ireland

Irish politics are marked by its division from Northern Ireland, with which the country shares an open border under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Ireland is a member of the European Union (EU) and a founding member of the Council of Europe and the OECD. Although Irish politics was long dominated by centrist and centre-right parties, there is now movement towards the centre-left and an emerging left-right divide. This shift is particularly influenced by rising economic inequalities due to higher costs of living and wage stagnation. As wage inequality increases, social mobility also becomes less accessible, which, in turn, leads to more fractious politics. Moreover, Irish policymakers have mostly relied on cash benefits instead of services. This has resulted in substantive challenges in healthcare and housing. Access to abortion also remains a concern in the Catholic majority country. Despite the decriminalisation in 2018, the lack of commissioned abortion services prompted a review and sweeping reforms of the Termination of Pregnancy Act. In recent years, Irish politics have also started to address the Irish pension system, which remains under pressure due to ageing demographics, lack of auto-enrolment, and a high number of private sector workers with no supplementary pension savings.

Ireland is home to a small number of racial minorities, including Asian, Black and other communities. Recent studies and reports reveal that racism is an enduring problem, and that minorities face obstacles in accessing workplaces, services, housing, education and healthcare. The government has acknowledged the problem, launching a national action plan against racism. GSoD Indices show that Ireland has made steady progress (from mid to high) on gender equality over the last several decades. Equality in health, access to financial resources and work are stronger areas, while challenges remain in decision-making in political, economic, and social spheres. The recently enacted Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 as well as efforts to push forward the Corporate Governance (Gender Balance) Bill are promising developments.

Looking ahead, it will be important to watch patterns of declining trust in the government, due partly to promised state support programmes not being implemented and a series of scandals that prompted resignations. It will also be critical to watch the unclear situation with Northern Ireland and the decreased trust between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Due to the shift of politics in Northern Ireland, discussions on a referendum on the unity of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have started. Nonetheless, a failure of finding mutually agreeable solutions would have major consequences for the Republic.