Before the Vote: Planning for a united Ireland

Drawing on new research, John Doyle analyses the economic conditions and policy frameworks in the two parts of the island of Ireland; comparing gaps in living standards, education, welfare systems, gender equality and health. The findings counter previous inaccurate perceptions of the comparative positions of the North and South and the economic relationship between Northern Ireland and the British state. From this foundation the book looks to the future, exploring how a referendum might be called and managed, how the pre-referendum debates and planning should be structured, and the legal and political processes necessary to create a united Ireland. It traces the processes of policy and economic integration in a new united Ireland and provides projections of possible economic outcomes. It concludes with a reflection on potential political structures for the new state, and on policy areas, including security and defence, that have so far not featured in public debates on unity.