How did Ireland become the world's most globalisted country and what
lessons can we learn from its engagement with globalization? The
economic and social environment in 1980s Ireland was miserable.
Unemployment peaked above 17% in 1985. So what changed in such a short
time that Ireland now has the lowest jobless level in the EU (4.4%) and
is now considered one of the most globalised countries in the world.
Michael O' Sullivan examines the economic, social and foreign policy
aspects of Ireland's experience of globalisation and asks what other
can countries learn from Ireland's great leap forward - "Ireland and
the Global Question" (ISBN 1859184022, Hardback, 234 x 156mm 224 pp,
€29.95, £19.95).
"Ireland and the Global Question" is an analysis of how a small country
with an open economy is affected by globalisation, and the ways in
which it can manage the side effects of this. This book deals with the
economic, social and international affairs aspects of Ireland's embrace
of globalisation, which is emerging as the most important issue in
Irish public life.
It is a "Question" whose effects on life in Ireland and indeed most
other countries, are likely to persist and leave profound changes. In
this respect the aim of the book is to help to frame the debate on the
globalisation of Ireland and to encourage an examination of Ireland's
Global Question in the context of international trends in economics,
international relations and politics. The multi-disciplinary approach
of 'Ireland and the Global Question' uncovers many of the weaknesses
that lie behind the complacent and clichéd view of the "Celtic Tiger".
An underlying trend in public life is that contentment with success is
dulling the critical faculties of policymakers in several important
areas, and few in Ireland now behave as if globalisation can do
anything but bless the Irish people. In particular, at
a time when the world seems to be interested in the Irish case,
there is a greater need for Irish policy makers to understand the world
around them.
The overall assessment of the book is that globalisation has so far
been kind to Ireland, but that more demanding times await it. A general
assessment of globalisation in Ireland today produces a lop-sided
picture. The economic globalisation of Ireland seems to have gone as
far as it can go, such that new goals and a new approach to policy
making are required if economic growth is to be sustained. The side
effects of globalisation on society appear to be going too far, and
need to be buffered by a bigger and more responsible role for the
state.
Michael O'Sullivan was educated at University College Cork, Ireland
and Balliol College, Oxford from where he obtained his masters and
D.Phil degrees as a Rhodes Scholar. He has lectured economics and
finance at Oxford and Princeton universities. Michael previously worked
as a strategist for Goldman Sachs International, UBS Warburg and
Commerzbank Securities before joining State Street Global Markets in
2003.
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