Abstract

The book examines the role of voluntary and not-for-profit organisations in the welfare of older people in contemporary welfare states. Drawing on research comparing policy on ageing and the development of voluntary action in Ireland's two jurisdictions, it shows that in good times in both parts of Ireland voluntary action among older people is socially pervasive and politically weak. It provides a comparative account of, and proposes a new theoretical approach to,the structuring of voluntary action around an important welfare category in liberal workfare states.