Sharing power and fragmenting public services: complex government in Northern Ireland

Abstract

There are obvious complexities in the governance of Northern Ireland. Longawaited political stability, power-sharing and settled devolution come with a highly-fragmented structure of public services. In addition, because of its preoccupation with constitutional and security matters, Northern Ireland is playing catch-up in public sector reform. There are greater expectations that local politicians can tackle endemic issues of poverty and social deprivation than their British ‘direct rule’ predecessors. This paper looks at a new initiative, which aims to address the complexities of power-sharing and its attendant fragmented governance arrangements.