An introductory account of the concept of class stratification, of contemporary approaches to the study of class, and of current debates about its role in the study of society. Definitions and an analysis of different theoretical approaches to class are accompanied by empirical material which compares the class structures of a range of countries and examines social mobility in cross-national perspective.

An introductory account of the concept of class stratification, of contemporary approaches to the study of class, and of current debates about its role in the study of society. Definitions and an analysis of different theoretical approaches to class are accompanied by empirical material which compares the class structures of a range of countries and examines social mobility in cross-national perspective.

The Republic of Ireland in 1958 abandoned its self-imposed isolation from the modern world for the promise of social and economic progress. State initiatives to promote industrial development coincided with an expanding world economy, and served to promote rapid and radical change in almost every aspect of Irish society. However, the massive growth served to reinforce, not weaken the class barriers, and the policies of successive governments generated change without achieving economic prosperity. The aim of this study is to assemble and interpret these economic and social changes since 1960, placing them in the context of the Irish experience since independence, and comparing Ireland's problems and economic progress to that of other developed countries. The authors argue that the late and rapid economic development transformed the Republic of Ireland without securing either economic prosperity or equality of opportunity.