Abstract

While the Irish economy has prospered in recent years all sections of the population have not gained equally. Some sections of the general population are excluded from economic and social benefits. There is a welcome emphasis in recent years in tackling social exclusion and the alleviation of poverty. The recommendations of various reports on the causes of poverty have significantly influenced the Partnership 2000 documents, 1996, to state in chapter 4, p.17 that "the primary objective of a social inclusion strategy is to ensure that the benefits of economic growth and related social improvements are shared by all sections of the Irish population"