You are required to examine the ‘direct provision system used to accommodate persons: Public Policy Making Assignment, DCU, Ireland

You are required to examine the ‘direct provision system used to accommodate persons seeking asylum/ international protection in Ireland, and:

1. use the different stages of the ‘policy cycle’ as outlined in your course lectures to explain how the direct provision system was introduced.

2. discuss how the evaluation stage of the policy cycle may have influenced the proposals contained in the 2021 White Paper to End Direct Provision and to establish a new International Protection Support Service.

3. comment on whether the proposals contained in the White Paper to End Direct Provision achieve a good balance between maintaining the integrity of the state and meeting Ireland’s obligations under international law.

Assignment Objectives

This assignment assesses students’ understanding of the theory and practice of the policy-making process as a key learning objective of the module, linking the assignment to an applied example of a policy initiative. While students are not limited to the following, they are expected to

(i) critically assess the ‘stages’ approach to understanding policy making,

(ii) evaluate selected policy examples,

(iii) understand the influence of contextual factors influencing the policy process and outcomes, and

(iv) appraise the approach to policy making in Ireland, identifying strengths and weaknesses.