European Standards and Waste Management in Ireland - Examining the Local Implementation Deficit

The European Union policy concerning the protection of the environment and natural resources has grown steadily since the 1980s. The so-called 'Earth Summit' (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 increased the pace and represented a universal attempt at global sustainability. McCormick (2001:168) provides an indication of the scope, depth and volume of EU environmental decision-making by outlining that the EU has adopted 85 laws, a myriad of strategies and a broad variety of policy initiatives since the 1980s in the area of waste management alone. However, the existence of substantial legislation does not necessarily imply the adoption of best practice procedures in member states. Andersen and Eliassen (2001:17) demonstrate some of the difficulties of incorporating EU laws and directives through national and politic-administrative systems and emphasise 'the interplay between legislation and implementation'. Knill's (1998) contribution is also valuable in arguing that national adaptation depends on the level of embeddedness of existing national structures. Despite the proliferation of EU law on waste management, McCormick (2001:168) notes that "the EU does not yet have a common waste management policy". Perhaps this reflects Sbragia's assertion that European environmental policy is driven by a tension between the proponents of stringent standards and the reluctant actors, within and between countries. The formulation of environmental policy resembles a process which has been described by Haas (1993) as the 'leader-laggard' dynamic. On environmental matters, the 'leader' countries tend to be Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands and often it is their domestic politics which drive the Community's policy process along (Sbragia, 1999). This paper seeks to assess Ireland's position in this dynamic, primarily in the area of waste management. In so doing, it will examine the burden of implementation which has been placed on local authorities and will highlight recent Irish legislation which has removed the power of decision-making from democratically elected representatives

Reforming local government: Must it always be democracy versus efficiency?

The financial crisis from 2008 has had a profound impact on Irish local government. Councils were faced with a disastrous combination of factors - declining funding from central government, difficulties in collecting commercial rates as businesses struggled, and a drastic fall in revenue from development levies. Staffing levels in the local government sector were reduced by over 20 per cent, significantly more than the losses suffered by central government ministries and departments. Yet the financial crisis also offered an opportunity for reform and a fundamental reappraisal of subnational government in Ireland. A reform strategy produced in 2012 paved the way for the Local Government Reform Act, 2014. As a result of this legislation, the number of local authorities was reduced from 114 to 31 with the complete abolition of all town councils. The number of council seats also fell from 1,627 to 949. Using Scharpf’s dimensions of democratic legitimacy, this article assesses whether the focus of the 2014 reforms was on output legitimacy (efficiency and effectiveness) as opposed to input legitimacy (citizen integration and participation)

Reconsidering directly elected mayors in Ireland: Experiences from the United Kingdom and America

As part of the proposed modernisation of Irish local government a directly elected mayor with executive powers will be introduced in Dublin in 2011. It is then anticipated that the system of elected mayors will be extended to the whole country. However, it is not known what impact this new form of executive leadership will have on the prevailing system whereby city and county managers are dominant. Drawing from experiences in the United Kingdom and the United States, this paper suggests that Ireland needs a clear, unambiguous mayoral model. As a political leader with executive powers it is imperative that the mayor’s relationships with both the council and the city/county manager are tightly defined

The impact of new public management on the roles of elected councillors, management and the community sector in Irish local government: a case study of Cork County Council

The fundamental aim of this thesis is to examine the effect of New Public Management (NPM) on the traditional roles of elected representatives, management and community activists in Irish local government. This will be achieved through a case study analysis of one local authority, Cork County Council. NPM promises greater democracy in decision-making. Therefore, one can hypothesise that the roles of the three key groupings identified will become more influenced by principles of participatory decision-making. Thus, a number of related questions will be addressed by this work, such as, have the local elected representatives been empowered by NPM? Has a managerial revolution taken place? Has local democracy been enhanced by more effective community participation? It will be seen in chapter 2 that these questions have not been adequately addressed to date in NPM literature. The three groups identified can be regarded as stakeholders although the researcher is cautious in using this term because of its value-laden nature. Essentially, in terms of Cork County Council, stakeholders can be defined as decision-makers and people within the organization and its environment who are interested in or could be affected directly or indirectly by organizational performance. This is an all-embracing definition and includes all citizens, residents, community groups and client organizations. It is in this context that the term 'stakeholder' should be understood when it is occasionally used in this thesis. In this case, the perceptions of elected councilors, management and community representatives with regard to their changing roles are as significant as the changes themselves. The chapter begins with a brief account of the background to this research. This is followed by an explanation of the methodology which is used and then concludes with short statements about the remaining chapters in the thesis

Learning lessons from the Ringaskiddy incineration story

The inclusion of incineration in waste management policies has proven very contentious in the Republic of Ireland. Even though the Cork Region Waste Management Strategy (1995-2020) acknowledged the role of incineration it came as no surprise that a planning application in May 2001 by Indaver Ireland for two incinerators in Cork Harbour was met with fierce local opposition. This paper tells the story which unfolded from May 2001 to May 2007 and examines the roles played by public bodies such as Cork County Council, An Bord Pleanála, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Health and Safety Authority. The Indaver case reveals flaws in the planning process and highlights the need for a more coordinated approach which fosters trust, credibility and legitimacy

Forgotten Lord Mayor: Donal Óg O'Callaghan 1920-1924

A fascinating and significant study of Donal Óg O'Callaghan, this timely work reflects on a period of extraordinary tumult and change. Cork's third Republican Lord Mayor - elected following the murder and death by hunger strike of his two storied predecessors - he took on the role at enormous personal risk and in a city already deeply traumatised and about to be burned to the ground. As a Gael, a soldier, a patriot, a staunch Republican and devoted public servant, O'Callaghan helped lay the foundations on which Ireland was built. Aodh Quinlivan's account of O'Callaghan's political life offers fresh insight into the tensions in Cork in the early 1920s, while the War of Independence and the Civil War unfolded. Until now, Donal O'Callaghan has been largely forgotten and neglected, but this book will help to secure his place in the history of Cork and Ireland

The development of the Irish management system and the move towards directly elected mayors

The Irish local government system works on a partnership model, with powers shared between the elected members and the appointed manager or chief executive. Within this system, each local authority elects a mayor on an annual basis from among its own members. In 2001 legislation was passed which proposed a drastic change to the office of mayor, and potentially to the role of the manager. The Local Government Act, 2001, provided for the direct election of mayors with executive powers. The proposal was dropped in 2003 but resurfaced in a 2008 Green Paper. This Green Paper never proceeded to legislation but six years later Minister Phil Hogan, TD, provided for the direct election of a mayor in Dublin in the Local Government Reform Act, 2014. The minister, however, inserted a clause that each of the four Dublin local authorities would firstly have to adopt a resolution in favour of holding a plebiscite in Dublin on the issue. Fingal County Council voted against and so the issue of a directly elected mayor was shelved again. Undoubtedly it will reappear at some point in the near future and it is hoped that a meaningful debate on the issue will lead to greater clarity on details, especially the precise powers of the mayor