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Ireland: Valuing the Arts and Humanities in a Time of Crisis and Beyond

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Book cover The Impact and Future of Arts and Humanities Research

Abstract

The global financial crisis of 2008 and ensuing collapse of the Irish economy and the Great Recession brought the golden decade of higher education and research investment to an abrupt end. In place of broadening the intellectual base, fundamental questions were asked about the purpose and relevance of university-based research. The changed circumstances are reflected in several major policy initiatives. And in strenuous efforts to rebuild the country’s economic infrastructure, employability and jobs became the dominant theme—with significant implications for higher education and research, but especially for the arts and humanities. In a country reputed to have a rich cultural heritage, this chapter explores the tensions surrounding arts and humanities research from the perspective of policy-makers, researchers and civil society.

*This chapter was co-authored by Ellen Hazelkorn and Andrew Gibson.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Higher Education Policy Studies, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Paul Benneworth

  2. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Magnus Gulbrandsen

  3. Higher Education Policy Research Unit, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland

    Ellen Hazelkorn

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  1. Paul Benneworth
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  2. Magnus Gulbrandsen
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  3. Ellen Hazelkorn
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Benneworth, P., Gulbrandsen, M., Hazelkorn, E. (2016). Ireland: Valuing the Arts and Humanities in a Time of Crisis and Beyond. In: The Impact and Future of Arts and Humanities Research. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-40899-0_4

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