Books

Book review: How capitalism and democracy should be run like Ireland

Martin Wolf, the author The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, gives a favourable nod to the way Ireland is governed as he outlines a series of piecemeal reforms that he says would restore people’s faith in both capitalism and democracy

A prolonged period of declining productivity and standard growth is prompting many voters to complain that the system in the West is stacked against them

If only the whole world could be more like Ireland, Martin Wolf laments. The Financial Times’s chief economic commentator includes several positive references to this country in his magisterial new survey of global affairs, complimenting our education policies, PR voting system and focus on foreign direct investment.

Above all, Wolf lavishes praise on the citizens’ assembly model which has been used here to help resolve tricky issues such as abortion. “It might have been invaluable,” ...