Abstract
Between 1948 and 1968, the system of socialised homeownership which had emerged between the 1920s and 1940s and initially focused on rural dwellers was expanded to include urban areas and the process of land redistribution also increased from the lows seen during the wartime period. This was the “saturation” period in the development of Ireland’s property-based welfare system, when demand for asset redistribution was almost completely satisfied or at least the limits of the distribution possible were reached but, concurrent with the peak of its development, the first signs of weakness in this welfare model also became evident. The latter was evidenced by growing criticism of this model by politicians, rather than any radical redirection in policy. The end of hegemonic support for property-based welfare reflected the weakening of the legitimacy and efficiency bulwarks which supported these policies as a result of a wider crisis within Ireland’s socio-economic model and pressures on associated public expenditure. However, during the 1950s and 1960s, the power of farmers and the building industry proved sufficient to ensure the continued expansion of the property-based welfare system. This chapter describes this expansion, the drivers of this development and the tentative signals of the weakening of these drivers which also emerged between 1948 and 1968.
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Norris, M. (2016). Saturation: 1948–1968. In: Property, Family and the Irish Welfare State. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44567-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44567-0_4
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