
Beyond Good Friday
Governance Possibilities in Post-Brexit Northern Ireland
Paul S. Adams(Author)
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Will be published approx. on 19. February 2026
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-6669-4652-9 (ISBN)
Description
The impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland's governing institutions has pushed consideration of the constitutional future and status of the region to a level of salience unthinkable just a decade ago. While Brexit has fundamentally changed the trajectory of Northern Irish politics, an understanding of what the future of governance might look like is no longer theoretical. Beyond Good Friday: Governance Possibilities in Post-Brexit Northern Ireland investigates and analyzes not only the challenges of the existing political institutions for the region but considers and explores dimensions of the numerous options that could fundamentally change Northern Ireland's constitutional status and governance model. While unification with the Republic of Ireland or maintaining the status quo as part of the United Kingdom are the conventional choices, Paul S. Adams explores and assesses other options, including co-sovereignty, which while previously rejected, may, along with other alternatives, need to be reconsidered considering changing social, economic, and political conditions in post-Brexit Northern Ireland.
Reviews / Votes
A bold and thought-provoking work, Beyond Good Friday outlines new ways of thinking about the future of Northern Ireland. It ought to be read by policymakers and political scientists interested in moving beyond the tried-and-failed confines of ethnic governance. Wide-ranging, yet finely honed, Adams's book brings research up to date and makes a compelling case for revising received wisdoms. -- Cillian McGrattan, Ulster University, Northern Ireland Paul Adams' Beyond Good Friday is an important contribution concerning the future of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Providing a comprehensive analysis of the Good Friday Agreement, its achievements, problems, and limitations, Adams proposes several options to amend or replace the GFA, to make the system more representative of and responsive to the needs of the people of Northern Ireland. -- Tony Novosel, University of Pittsburgh, USAMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
485 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6669-4652-9 (9781666946529)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2025
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€98.99
Available for download

E-Book
12/2025
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€98.99
Available for download
Person
Paul S. Adams is associate professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, USA. He specializes in comparative politics and international relations, specifically the politics of Europe, Northern Ireland, the European Union, and of non-majoritarian forms of democracy including neo-corporatism and consociationalism.
Content
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 Flammable Materials: Governance Challenges Under the Good Friday System
Chapter 2 Undertones: Conceptualizing Consociational Democracy
Chapter 3 The System is Here: Consociational Governance Under the Good Friday Agreement
Chapter 4 Outcast: Brexit's Multifaceted Impacts on Governing Northern Ireland
Chapter 5 Alternative Ulsters: Future Governance Options for Northern Ireland
Chapter 6 Fly the Flags: Condominium and Co-Sovereignty
Conclusion: Good Vibrations - Constitutional Change and the Future
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Introduction
Chapter 1 Flammable Materials: Governance Challenges Under the Good Friday System
Chapter 2 Undertones: Conceptualizing Consociational Democracy
Chapter 3 The System is Here: Consociational Governance Under the Good Friday Agreement
Chapter 4 Outcast: Brexit's Multifaceted Impacts on Governing Northern Ireland
Chapter 5 Alternative Ulsters: Future Governance Options for Northern Ireland
Chapter 6 Fly the Flags: Condominium and Co-Sovereignty
Conclusion: Good Vibrations - Constitutional Change and the Future
Bibliography
About the Author
Index