Power to the People? Assessing Democracy in Ireland

Power to the People? was launched in April 2007. It was the outcome of the first ever comprehensive audit of democracy in Ireland. The Audit, which was initiated in 2004, provides us not only with a snap shot of how democracy is working in Ireland but also provides a set of benchmarks for judging developments in the future.

Due to a lack of data, it is almost impossible to evaluate government programmes and plans; to measure the extent of corruption in the State; to put a definitive figure on the number of public bodies established by government or to know the criteria for appointments to these.