Ireland's contradictory welfare reality, globalisation and a diversity of migration experiences : the case of County Clare

Traditional approaches to welfare state literature have tended to be dominated by a concentration on welfare regimes and a subsequent focus on fitting countries into classifications. This thesis seeks to go beyond these debates by concentrating the analysis of empirical investigation on changes within welfare states, with a view to contributing to a further understanding of the changes taking place within welfare states. It is in this context that the work focuses on the impact of globalisation, noting that even the globalisation literature has devoted little attention to the internal dimensions of the globalisation process within states. Arguably, the biggest globalisation impact is the movement of people across state borders and the resultant challenges of integrating race, ethnicity and migration into our understanding of welfare states. The thesis therefore aims to map welfare state responses to immigration and outcomes for immigrants, and posits Ireland as an exemplar case of globalisation. In doing so, it highlights that three general types of incorporation of immigrants (differential exclusion, assimilation and multiculturalism) can be found throughout Europe, resulting in an assortment of immigration policies encompassing restrictive and expansive tendencies and varying types of inclusion and exclusion of migrants and their families. In the Irish case, the research finds that the state has created a hybrid model giving different rights and entitlements to immigrants depending on their status. The empirical research is underpinned by an emancipatory methodological approach and draws on the testimonies of immigrants and local service providers. Drawing from these conceptual and empirical sources, the thesis explores the practical implications of, and possibilities for, immigration into the Irish state.