Abstract
Northern Ireland has been described as a ‘post conflict’ society with a stable political environment following the peace process, and yet it is a hugely segregated society with significant social deprivation. With peace came the promise of a ‘peace dividend’ for those most affected by the violence. This paper uses the Department for International Development's (DFID) ‘state building for peace’ model as a way of understanding and analysing the fragility of the peace process, in particular how the Northern Ireland Executive, in order to maintain legitimacy and stability, has failed to meet public expectations to improve the quality of their lives.