NAPS policy and process –what have we learned?

Using a ‘new governance’ framework, this paper charts the evolution of the Irish National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) and assesses the extent of change in policy institutions, the processes and performance, as well as looking at the implications that these hold for policy accountability and the role of the state in fostering social inclusion. The evolution and progress of the NAPS is assessed against the three-fold ambitions that NAPS was originally intended to achieve, namely: greater integration in policy initiatives involving cross-cutting departmental responsibilities; the introduction of ‘poverty impact assessments’ to all government initiatives and key policy areas; and, developing the participation of people living in poverty. It finds that for a variety of reasons, these objectives have been only partially achieved and that there is as much to be learned from a closer examination of the policy process associated with NAPS as there is from an evaluation of the policy outputs.