What problems in Ireland does Jonathan Swift address in A Modest Proposal?

In his 1729 satirical essay A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift addresses the dire social and economic conditions in Ireland during the early 18th century.12

Swift uses savage irony and hyperbole to critique several specific problems:

• Economic Exploitation: The essay serves as a scathing commentary on England’s legal and economic exploitation of Ireland, which Swift believed was the primary cause of the country's backward state.312
• Poverty and Overpopulation: Swift highlights the extreme poverty of the Irish people and the issue of overpopulation, which he ironically suggests could be "alleviated" by selling the children of the poor as food for the wealthy.31
• Social Neglect: By proposing an unthinkable, inhumane solution, Swift draws attention to the indifference of the ruling class toward the suffering of the Irish population, including the large number of Roman Catholics (referred to as "Papists").1

While Swift blamed the English government for these systemic issues, he also used his writing to call attention to actions he believed the Irish people themselves could take to improve their own circumstances.12