Impact of the economic boom on Irish society (2006)

Résumé du document

"To be Irish in 2006 is to be living through an unprecedented social experiment" (Holmquist 2006). This statement exemplifies the Irish economic performance in the 1990s. It puts an end to the years of high spending and taxes, an increasing inflation, low growth and soaring unemployment. Since 1993, the GDP averaged 9 percent annually (Mac Sharry et al. 2001 p119). Ireland became one of the few examples of "developed country [ies] with a growth record to match East Asia's" (Mac Sharry et al. 2001 p119). This economic turnaround arose thanks to the "combination of different factors at different times" (Mac Sharry et al. 2001 p119). Indeed, at the political level one can think about the governmental economic policies since 1987, which have strengthened the industrial competitiveness in Ireland to a great extent. Besides, the bargaining with the social partners and the compromise between the two main parliamentary parties played fundamental roles as well. Finally, the success of the Irish integration into the EU and the European Monetary Union constituted a key element to the apparition of the Celtic Tiger.

Extraits

[...] But thanks to the economic boom the unemployment rate declined from 17 percent in the 1980s to 4 percent in 2000 (O'Connell 2000 p88). Since 1999 labour shortage even became a real problem. Although the economic boom permeated the 1990s in Ireland and employment had a beneficial impact on living standards, not all problems were tackled. In some areas the disparity between the top and the bottom of the society has increased. Basically the amount of long-term unemployed people could be reduced in comparison with the rate in the 1980s, but it is still high. [...]

[...] McSimion, A Riot In Dublin - Celtic Tiger: You reap what you sow [Online]. Available from: [Accessed 26 April 2006]. Move To Ireland. (Crime in Ireland). [Online]. Available from: [Accessed 26 April 2006]. National Crime Council Crime in Ireland - Trends and Patterns to 1998. Dublin: Stationery Office. Available from: [Accessed 25 April 2006]. Rte.ie. (Noonan brands Government "most incompetent" ever). [Online]. Available from: [Accessed 11 February 2006]. [...]

[...] Impact of the economic boom on Irish society (2006) Table of contents 1. Introduction Impacts on the society Quality of life Transport & Infrastructure Environment Crime Poverty and social welfare Living standards Employment and unemployment Distribution of income Housing Health system Education Irish Identity Conclusion Bibliography Books Articles Websites Introduction be Irish in 2006 is to be living through an unprecedented social experiment” (Holmquist 2006), directly caused by the ‘Celtic Tiger'. This exemplifies the Irish economic performance in the 1990s. [...]

[...] It only has a very low level of state spending on basic social programmes. During the 1980s, the government focused rather on short- term unemployed than on other groups in need like the elderly or long-term unemployed. In contrast, in the end of the 1990s, the payments for elderly rose by 15-18 percent and those for the sick and unemployed only by 7 percent. As far as it concerns social insurance, the Irish government pays a flat-rate pension and during the last decade, it only pays about 10 percent of the GDP on social assistance and insurance (Nolan et al p179). [...]

[...] CILT World. [Online]. page. Available from: Business Source Premier [Accessed 28 April 2006]. Haughey, Nuala. group worried about racism here'. The Irish Times April 2002. Holmquist, Kate. ‘What will it mean to be Irish two decades into the 21st century?'. The Irish Times March 2006. Holland, K Crumbling walls, damp bedrooms: poverty in Celtic Tiger Ireland. The E-Journal of the Irish Times. [Online]. [...]