Has politics reached breaking point? Rather than defending liberalism or abandoning it, how can a socially just and ecological alternative be built? Peadar Kirby investigates the causes of our current multifaceted global crisis by drawing on the work of Karl Polanyi. This book explores Polanyi’s theory that social disruptions result from the attempt to run society according to the rules of the market. Drawing on these ideas, it outlines pathways towards an alternative future that overcome weaknesses in Marxism. Linking the ecological, political and socio-economic crises, Kirby identifies that an alternative socio-ecological model is emerging, consistent with the insights of Polanyi. Karl Polanyi and the Contemporary Political Crisis is an urgent intervention into key debates on the future of politics, on the low-carbon transition, on automation and on the emerging world order.

This book deals with one of the most pressing social and environmental issues that we face today. The transition to a post-carbon society, in which the consumption of fossil fuels decreases over time, has become an inevitability due to the need to prevent catastrophic climate change, the increasing cost and scarcity of energy, and complex combinations of both of these factors. As the authors point out, this will not only entail political adjustments and the replacement of some technologies by others, but will be accompanied by social and cultural changes that bring about substantial modifications in our societies and ways of life. This book examines whether the current conditions, which date back to the crisis that began in 2007, favour a benign and smooth transition or will make it more difficult and prone to conflict. It argues that, even if this transformation is unavoidable, the directions it will take and the resulting social forms are much less certain. There will be many post-carbon societies, the authors conclude, and any number of routes to social change. Transitioning to a Post-Carbon Society therefore represents a significant contribution to global debates on the environment, and is vital reading for academics, policymakers, business leaders, NGOs and the general public alike.

This book addresses the global need to transition to a low-carbon society and economy by 2050. The authors interrogate the dominant frames used for understanding this challenge and the predominant policy approaches for achieving it. Highlighting the techno-optimism that informs our current understanding and policy options, Kirby and O'Mahony draw on the lessons of international development to situate the transition within a political economy framework. Assisted by thinking on future scenarios, they critically examine the range of pathways being implemented by both developed and developing countries, identifying the prevailing forms of climate capitalism led by technology. Based on evidence that this is inadequate to achieve a low-carbon and sustainable society, the authors identify an alternative approach. This advance emerges from community initiatives, discussions on postcapitalism and debates about wellbeing and degrowth. The re-positioning of society and environment at the core of development can be labelled "ecosocialism" - a concept which must be tempered against the conditions created by Trumpism and Brexit.

Since the first edition there have been fundamental changes in the Irish growth model. The sudden collapse of the Irish economy in 2008 raises questions such as: why the sudden and deep decline in economic growth? What are the prospects for a return to growth? Answering these questions and more, this book is the definitive work on the Celtic Tiger.

Ireland underwent a dramatic economic and social transformation from the 1990s onwards, earning it the title the "Celtic Tiger". Rapid economic growth was accompanied by substantial in-migration. However in the later 2000s Ireland is also experiencing a severe economic recession. This book examines the nature and geographies of the Celtic Tiger, focusing on the evolution of industries such as information and communication technology and pharamaceuticals. It also examines the changing nature of social ties in cities, trends amongst knowledge workers and the experiences of return migrants. It concludes with reflections on the nature of the Celtic Tiger phenomenon and how this will shape Ireland's geography and society into the future. This book was published as a special issue of Irish Geography.

Ireland underwent a dramatic economic and social transformation from the 1990s onwards, earning it the title the "Celtic Tiger." Rapid economic growth was accompanied by substantial in-migration. However in the later 2000s Ireland is also experiencing a severe economic recession.

This book examines the nature and geographies of the Celtic Tiger, focusing on the evolution of industries such as information and communication technology and pharamaceuticals. It also examines the changing nature of social ties in cities, trends amongst knowledge workers and the experiences of return migrants. It concludes with reflections on the nature of the Celtic Tiger phenomenon and how this will shape Irelanda (TM)s geography and society into the future.

This book was published as a special issue of Irish Geography.

This book deals with one of the most pressing social and environmental issues that we face today. The transition to a post-carbon society, in which the consumption of fossil fuels decreases over time, has become an inevitability due to the need to prevent catastrophic climate change, the increasing cost and scarcity of energy, and complex combinations of both of these factors. As the authors point out, this will not only entail political adjustments and the replacement of some technologies by others, but will be accompanied by social and cultural changes that bring about substantial modifications in our societies and ways of life. This book examines whether the current conditions, which date back to the crisis that began in 2007, favour a benign and smooth transition or will make it more difficult and prone to conflict. It argues that, even if this transformation is unavoidable, the directions it will take and the resulting social forms are much less certain. There will be many post-carbon societies, the authors conclude, and any number of routes to social change. Transitioning to a Post-Carbon Society therefore represents a significant contribution to global debates on the environment, and is vital reading for academics, policymakers, business leaders, NGOs and the general public alike.

Since the first edition there have been fundamental changes in the Irish growth model. The sudden collapse of the Irish economy in 2008 raises questions such as: why the sudden and deep decline in economic growth? What are the prospects for a return to growth? Answering these questions and more, this book is the definitive work on the Celtic Tiger.

This is the first sustained and broad-ranging critique of the legacies of Ireland's Celtic Tiger boom. Contributors identify the damaging impact that the free market has had on a wide range of areas in public life, including the media and the pharmaceutical industry, and also examine its influence on health, education, state surveillance, immigrants, the welfare state, consumerism and the Irish language. Challenging the notion that there is no alternative for Ireland but the present economic and political dispensation, experts map out an alternative politics that could create spaces for hope and renewal in contemporary Ireland. In a society whose public debates have been largely dominated by the instrumentalist logic of stockbroker economists and the regressive populism of talk-radio shock jocks, Transforming Ireland offers a more substantial and considered analysis, uncovering hidden aspects of everyday Irish life. It reveals that, virtually unnoticed by the media, there exist lively debates in today's Ireland which draw on international insights about globalisation to probe how it is reshaping Irish society. Covering four principal topics - culture and society, media and social change, social control, and power and politics - this impressive volume opens new and hopeful perspectives for students and also the general reader. Though primarily a book about Ireland, it is also a book about today's form of globalisation, offering a rare and accessible analysis of the damage done to society when market forces are given free rein. -- .

This is the first comprehensive survey of the Irish state, and draws on a range of theoretical approaches to analyse its origins, its evolution, its nature and its role in Ireland's recent economic success. The book begins by outlining the fragmentary way in which the Irish state has been treated to date in the social sciences. Subsequent chapters by distinguished contributors then go on to examine the history of the Irish state from 1922 to 1973, the developmental nature of the Irish state since the 1980s, the Irish state as a partnership state, the gendered nature of the state, the changing nature of the state's autonomy and capacity since independence, whether the Irish state can be described as a competition state, and the activities and policies of the Irish state as a welfare state. The editors examine the lessons learnt from these analyses before detailing a challenging agenda for further research. The book will be of major interest to students of Irish politics and of Ireland's recent economic and social development. Given Ireland's status as a model of success in this globalised era, the book will interest scholars of globalisation and comparative politics, and makes a significant contribution to analyses of the role of the state in this context. -- .

Has politics reached breaking point? Rather than defending liberalism or abandoning it, how can a socially just and ecological alternative be built? Peadar Kirby investigates the causes of our current multifaceted global crisis by drawing on the work of Karl Polanyi. This book explores Polanyi's theory that social disruptions result from the attempt to run society according to the rules of the market. Drawing on these ideas, it outlines pathways towards an alternative future that overcome weaknesses in Marxism. Linking the ecological, political and socio-economic crises, Kirby identifies that an alternative socio-ecological model is emerging, consistent with the insights of Polanyi. Karl Polanyi and the Contemporary Political Crisis is an urgent intervention into key debates on the future of politics, on the low-carbon transition, on automation and on the emerging world order.

This is the first comprehensive survey of the Irish state, and draws on a range of theoretical approaches to analyse its origins, its evolution, its nature and its role in Ireland's recent economic success. The book begins by outlining the fragmentary way in which the Irish state has been treated to date in the social sciences. Subsequent chapters by distinguished contributors then go on to examine the history of the Irish state from 1922 to 1973, the developmental nature of the Irish state since the 1980s, the Irish state as a partnership state, the gendered nature of the state, the changing nature of the state's autonomy and capacity since independence, whether the Irish state can be described as a competition state, and the activities and policies of the Irish state as a welfare state. The editors examine the lessons learnt from these analyses before detailing a challenging agenda for further research. The book will be of major interest to students of Irish politics and of Ireland's recent economic and social development. Given Ireland's status as a model of success in this globalised era, the book will interest scholars of globalisation and comparative politics, and makes a significant contribution to analyses of the role of the state in this context. -- .

Timely and unique, this innovative volume provides a critical examination of the role of civil society and its relation to the state throughout left-led Latin American. Featuring a broad range of case studies from across the region - from the Bolivian constitution to participative budgeting in Brazil to the "communal councils" in Venezuela - the book examines to what extent these new initiatives are redefining state-civil society relations. Does the return of an active state in Latin America imply the incorporation of civil society representatives in decision-making processes? Is the new Left delivering on the promise of participatory democracy and a redefinition of citizenship, or are we witnessing a new democratic deficit?A wide-ranging analysis of a vital issue - both for Latin America and beyond.

This is the first sustained and broad-ranging critique of the legacies of Ireland's Celtic Tiger boom. Contributors identify the damaging impact that the free market has had on a wide range of areas in public life, including the media and the pharmaceutical industry, and also examine its influence on health, education, state surveillance, immigrants, the welfare state, consumerism and the Irish language. Challenging the notion that there is no alternative for Ireland but the present economic and political dispensation, experts map out an alternative politics that could create spaces for hope and renewal in contemporary Ireland. In a society whose public debates have been largely dominated by the instrumentalist logic of stockbroker economists and the regressive populism of talk-radio shock jocks, Transforming Ireland offers a more substantial and considered analysis, uncovering hidden aspects of everyday Irish life. It reveals that, virtually unnoticed by the media, there exist lively debates in today's Ireland which draw on international insights about globalisation to probe how it is reshaping Irish society. Covering four principal topics - culture and society, media and social change, social control, and power and politics - this impressive volume opens new and hopeful perspectives for students and also the general reader. Though primarily a book about Ireland, it is also a book about today's form of globalisation, offering a rare and accessible analysis of the damage done to society when market forces are given free rein. -- .

`This excellent textbook provides students of Latin America with a rich and deep analysis of the processes and outcomes of globalization, past and present. Diversity and difference are explored using vivid and detailed country profiles. A strength of this textbook is its ability to explain complex issues in a way that is engaging and informative. It provides conceptual frameworks for students to engage in independent analysis of the complexities of global forces as they impact on, and interact with, the "local" in different contexts. It also, however, engages with the issues of crucial importance for the lived realities of Latin American people- poverty, development, the state and resistance under changing political, economic and ideological conditions. An essential buy for serious students of Latin America' - Anne Boran, Chester College, University of Liverpool

`This is an outstanding textbook which will appeal to a wide audience but especially those wishing to understand contemporary Latin America.... I have been studying Latin America for over 40 years and wish I could have written such a lucid and engaging book' - Dr Crist[ac]obal Kay, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague

Introduction to Latin America provides a completely new introduction to the political, social and economic forces shaping this essential region of undergraduate study today.

It is the first textbook to place Latin America within a genuinely global context and introduce the debates and impact of globalization, neoliberalism, democratization, and the environment.

It fully reviews the traditional literature in the postwar period (such as modernization or dependency theory) to demonstrate the way in which Latin America has often been misunderstood and introduces more recent theorizing to consider the longer-term prospects for equitable and sustainable development.

Encorporating maps, case study boxes, summary exhibits, and guides to further reading, Introduction to Latin America will be an essential text for all students of Latin America across politics, international studies, geography, sociology and development studies.