Social policy and income adequacy in the Republic of Ireland: the importance of social class and family cycle

Abstract

This paper is intended to stand as part of the growing literature on income distribution in the Republic of Ireland. Specifically, it builds on previous work concerned with the description and analysis of the impact of state taxation and transfer payments on that distribution. The focus, therefore, is on the comparison of direct income with disposable income, the difference reflecting the net effect of state policy. Along with that focus, we share with our predecessors a common data source: the 1973 Household Budget Survey. The use of that source, which is primarily designed to collect data on household expenditure, imposes certain limitations and difficulties, which we share with earlier studies. These will be discussed in the appropriate sections of the paper.