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The Impact of Debt Advice as a Response to Financial Difficulties in Ireland
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 December 2011
Abstract
Irish social policy has, since the early 1990s, prioritised debt advice as the primary policy tool for addressing over-indebtedness, targeting low-income households in particular. This article, which draws on secondary analysis of datasets and qualitative interviews, suggests that ‘person-centred’ debt advice plays a major role in alleviating personal over-indebtedness and its effects among this group. However, the government's objective that it should facilitate financial independence is unrealistic. For such debt advice to be effective, complimentary legal and institutional solutions to debt problems are required in Ireland. The dearth of financial options and resources available also needs to be addressed.
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- Themed Section on Household Finances under Pressure: What is the Role of Social Policy?
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011
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