Book Reviews : Social Insurance and Social Assistance in Ireland. By DESMOND FARLEY. (Dublin: Institute of Public Administration, 1964. Pp. xii, 182. 30s.)

• Published date: 01 December 1964
• DOI: 10.1177/106591296401700433
• Date: 01 December 1964
• Author: Philip W. Buck
• Subject Matter: Articles

819

neither

by

fresh

insights

nor

by

perceptive

interpretations;

and

his

preoccupation

with

the

development

of

democratic

ideals

and

practices

is

sometimes

permitted

to

obscure

contrary

tendencies.

Finally,

the

work

fails

to

reveal

the

complex

and

excit-

ing

interplay

between

theory

and

practice

and

between

the

ideal

and

the

actual.

Despite

these

weaknesses

this

book

may

prove

suitable

as

a

general

background

text

for

introductory

courses

in

American

government

and

United

States

history.

As

a

comprehensive

and

generally

balanced

survey

of

the

rise

of

American

democracy

it

will

provide

the

beginning

student

with

a

reasonable

foundation

for

further

study.

University

of

California,

Davis

CLYDE

E.

JACOBS

Western

Europe

Since

the

War;

A

Short

Political

History.

By

JACQUES

FREYMOND.

(New

York:

Frederick

A.

Praeger, 1964.

Pp. vii, 236.

$5.50.)

Jacques

Freymond

is

a

distinguished

Swiss

historian

and

political

scientist

and

director

of the

Graduate

Institute

of

International

Studies

at

Geneva.

In

the

present

relatively

small

volume

he

recounts

the

efforts

at

economic,

military,

and

political

unification

of

Western

Europe

since

the

last

war.

The

study

is

both

descriptive

and

analytical,

but

mainly

the

former.

A

primary

virtue

is

that

the

developments -

achievements,

failures,

personalities

-

are

never

discussed

in

a

vacuum

but

ever

against

the

prevailing

conditions

in

the

national

and

international

spheres;

the

sub-

title,

&dquo;a

short

political

history,&dquo;

is

thus

largely

justified.

Although

Freymond

properly

emphasizes

&dquo;objective

conditions,&dquo;

he

rightly

pays

tribute

to

and

underscores

the

roles

played

by

the

personalities

whose

names

are

associated

with

the

unification

efforts,

be

they

men

of

ideas

or

of

action.

In

regard

to

De

Gaulle,

Freymond’s

posi-

tion

is

that

the

French

President

has

&dquo;not

only

put

the

brake

on

European

integra-

tion,

but

hardened

contradictions

among ...

erstwhile

allies,&dquo;

yet

he

attributes

his

recusancy

not

to

vanity

and

personal

pique

but

to

&dquo;essential

interests&dquo;

at

stake.

A

fault

shared

by

this

volume

with

some

others

of

the

same

general

nature

is

the

failure

to

discuss

meaningfully

and

in

detail

the

basic

differences

among

the

assorted

alphabetical

agencies.

This

lack

of

clear

differentiation

inevitably

tends

to

impair

the

usefulness

to

the

college

student

of

this

generally

admirable

study.

A

brief

&dquo;selected

bibliography&dquo;

is

appended.

ISAAC

A.

STONE

City

College

of

New

York

Social

Insurance

and

Social

Assistance

in

Ireland.

By

DESMOND

FARLEY.

(Dublin:

Institute

of

Public

Administration,

1964.

Pp. xii, 182.

30s.)

This

book

does

exactly

what

its

title

promises.

Sixteen

brief

chapters

and

ten

appendices

describe

carefully

the

various

social

insurances

which

the

Irish

govern-

ment

furnishes

to

its

citizens.

Each

chapter

traces

the

origin

-

usually

in

the

time

preceding

the

establishment

of

the

independent

Republic

of

Eire

-

of

each

one

of

the

various

services;

and

then

summarizes

its

development

and

its

present

status.

Some

Irish

citizens

receive

benefits

which

are

not

available

to

citizens

of

other

nations.

For

example,

&dquo;wet-time

insurance&dquo;

provides

unemployment

benefits

for

loss