This thesis argues that the austerity policies in Ireland after the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis acted as a form of second enclosure and increased economic inequality. This thesis uses a Marxian critique of neoliberal market society to analyze the policies enacted after the 2010 Irish Bailout. I situated the concept of enclosure within liberal hegemony arguing that enclosure must be conceptualized as a method of inclusion and exclusion. In addition, I connect Ireland’s history of enclosure with the power relation between land ownership and capital accumulation. I contextualize Ireland’s austerity policies within the neoliberal project and Ireland’s membership in the European Union. Framing the bailout within these two contexts, I examine how these austerity policies act as a form of austerity through the inclusion and exclusion of the “common good” of welfare. I use Irish Travellers as an example of those excluded, as they are one of the most marginalized groups within Irish Society. Finally, I examine counter-hegemonic resistance centered on inequality in the form of newly create political parties. Understanding austerity as a recurring historical process uncovers the power dynamics reproduced within capitalist expansion and centers the discussion on the institutions creating these policies of inclusion and exclusion.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis argues that the austerity policies in Ireland after the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis acted as a form of second enclosure and increased economic inequality. This thesis uses a Marxian critique of neoliberal market society to analyze the policies enacted after the 2010 Irish Bailout. I situated the concept of enclosure within liberal hegemony arguing that enclosure must be conceptualized as a method of inclusion and exclusion. In addition, I connect Ireland’s history of enclosure with the power relation between land ownership and capital accumulation. I contextualize Ireland’s austerity policies within the neoliberal project and Ireland’s membership in the European Union. Framing the bailout within these two contexts, I examine how these austerity policies act as a form of austerity through the inclusion and exclusion of the “common good” of welfare. I use Irish Travellers as an example of those excluded, as they are one of the most marginalized groups within Irish Society. Finally, I examine counter-hegemonic resistance centered on inequality in the form of newly create political parties. Understanding austerity as a recurring historical process uncovers the power dynamics reproduced within capitalist expansion and centers the discussion on the institutions creating these policies of inclusion and exclusion.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Soto, Taylor"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"International Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:00Z","subjects":["Ireland","austerity","enclosure","2007-2008 global financial crisis","neoliberalism"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd/263","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Soto, Taylor"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-02-06T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["International Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Ireland","austerity","enclosure","2007-2008 global financial crisis","neoliberalism"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd/263"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis argues that the austerity policies in Ireland after the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis acted as a form of second enclosure and increased economic inequality. This thesis uses a Marxian critique of neoliberal market society to analyze the policies enacted after the 2010 Irish Bailout. I situated the concept of enclosure within liberal hegemony arguing that enclosure must be conceptualized as a method of inclusion and exclusion. In addition, I connect Ireland’s history of enclosure with the power relation between land ownership and capital accumulation. I contextualize Ireland’s austerity policies within the neoliberal project and Ireland’s membership in the European Union. Framing the bailout within these two contexts, I examine how these austerity policies act as a form of austerity through the inclusion and exclusion of the “common good” of welfare. I use Irish Travellers as an example of those excluded, as they are one of the most marginalized groups within Irish Society. Finally, I examine counter-hegemonic resistance centered on inequality in the form of newly create political parties. Understanding austerity as a recurring historical process uncovers the power dynamics reproduced within capitalist expansion and centers the discussion on the institutions creating these policies of inclusion and exclusion.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Austerity as enclosure: how austerity in Ireland after the global financial crisis acts as a method of inclusion and exclusion"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Soto, Taylor"],"dc:date.available":["2019-02-06T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis argues that the austerity policies in Ireland after the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis acted as a form of second enclosure and increased economic inequality. This thesis uses a Marxian critique of neoliberal market society to analyze the policies enacted after the 2010 Irish Bailout. I situated the concept of enclosure within liberal hegemony arguing that enclosure must be conceptualized as a method of inclusion and exclusion. In addition, I connect Ireland’s history of enclosure with the power relation between land ownership and capital accumulation. I contextualize Ireland’s austerity policies within the neoliberal project and Ireland’s membership in the European Union. Framing the bailout within these two contexts, I examine how these austerity policies act as a form of austerity through the inclusion and exclusion of the “common good” of welfare. I use Irish Travellers as an example of those excluded, as they are one of the most marginalized groups within Irish Society. Finally, I examine counter-hegemonic resistance centered on inequality in the form of newly create political parties. Understanding austerity as a recurring historical process uncovers the power dynamics reproduced within capitalist expansion and centers the discussion on the institutions creating these policies of inclusion and exclusion.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd/263"],"dc:subject":["Ireland","austerity","enclosure","2007-2008 global financial crisis","neoliberalism"],"dc:title":["Austerity as enclosure: how austerity in Ireland after the global financial crisis acts as a method of inclusion and exclusion"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["International Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:00Z"}