Ireland in official print culture, 1800-1850

"The decades after 1800 saw a fundamental redefinition of the role of the state in Ireland. Many of the most pervasive and enduring forms of official intervention and regulation date from this period, such as a permanent centralised police force, a system of elementary education, a network of small courts, and a national system of poor relief. Many of these were preceded by large-scale official investigations whose results were published as parliamentary reports, another novel aspect of state activity.Talking About Beggars analyses the construction and dissemination of an official image of Irish society in those reports."--Publishers website