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Abstract: Drawing on the international literature on pattern bargaining in Europe and other countries, the article examines the recent advent of pattern bargaining in Irish industrial relations. Qualitative and quantitative data are deployed to explore the genesis, features, institutional and economic context and future of pattern bargaining in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Committee on Industrial Organisation was established in the early 1960s to evaluate the level of preparedness of Irish industry for the imminent dismantling of the country's protectionist trade barriers. The Committee's sectoral reports list the 900 or so manufacturing firms that it surveyed and that together accounted for more than half of Irish manufacturing employment. From a range of archival sources, this article identifies the nationality of ownership of most of these firms, alongside their date of establishment and level of employment in 1960. Industrial grants data are used to strip out export-oriented businesses that began to arrive in the 1950s. This makes it possible to estimate the employment share and sectoral presence of tariff-jumping foreign firms. The latter is analysed through the lens of modern perspectives on foreign direct investment. The article also enhances our understanding of the interest-group politics of the trade liberalization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The termination of state agencies has been a prominent aspect of administrative 'rationalization' programmes arising from the Global Financial Crisis. In this article, the frequency and type of agency terminations that have occurred in Ireland post-2008 are examined in longitudinal perspective. Following a consideration of agency types, the logic of agency rationalization is explored with a focus on the different ways in which agencies are terminated. Drawing on a unique dataset of Irish state agencies over a 90-year period, the article presents evidence concerning the degree to which terminations over the 2008-11 period differ, if at all, from those that have occurred previously. In concluding, the article proposes that rather than witnessing agency 'culls' and 'bonfires', there is 'life after death' for agencies and their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an assessment of the impact of changes to social security in Ireland during both the Celtic Tiger and crisis periods, comparing change in social security rates relative to prices and to median equivalized net income. It is argued that, contrary to some commentary, there was progress in terms of social welfare generosity during the Celtic Tiger years, despite Ireland adopting a low-tax economic model. However, in the latter years of the Celtic Tiger period, this progress was increasingly leveraged against precarious property-related taxes. Following the collapse of the housing bubble, the bank guarantee and the bailout, there has been substantial retrenchment of social security, both in terms of cuts to some of the primary social welfare payments, tightening of scheme rules as well as more direct cuts to less visible schemes. The article provides an assessment of these changes, ending on a cautionary note in arguing that the prospects for the future do not augur well given Ireland's continued commitment to a low-tax economic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the evolution of the Irish economic crisis and its implications for social protection policy, specifically for working age adults, in the context of European integration and Ireland's status as a small state member of the EU. We look at how neither small state characteristics, nor the position of small states in the EU, both of which raise problematic issues in their own right, are alone responsible for Ireland's crisis situation. Such factors need to be understood in conjunction with national policy models and preferences which, in the Irish case, leant it something of an outlier status in the EU. Substantiating this argument and considering its implications for social protection reform, the article first examines the evolution of Ireland's liberal and increasingly financialized growth model in the context of greater European economic integration and how its risks intensified, but were also obscured, under Economic and Monetary Union ( EMU). Second, against this backdrop and despite the growing EU role in social policy, it examines how national policy factors meant that focus on income transfers remained dominant in social protection developments during the growth period spanning the mid-1990s to 2008. Third, it analyses the unprecedented degree of social protection retrenchment and reform occurring since the crisis, highlighting the congruence between national efforts and the impact of conditionalities associated with financial assistance. The article concludes by considering the question of to what extent Ireland will remain an outlier post-crisis given the direction the EU has taken in dealing with the Eurozone crisis to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the global financial crisis, and as Europe's financial and fiscal woes continue, Ireland's beleaguered economy has attracted a great deal of scrutiny, with much made of the country's status as one of the PIIGS and the fact that it was bailed out by the troika of the IMF, EU and ECB in November 2010. Whilst most attention has been directed at Ireland's banks and the strategy of the Irish government in managing the crisis, substantial interest (both nationally and internationally) has been focused on the property sector and in particular the phenomenon of so-called 'ghost estates' (or, in official terms, unfinished estates). As of October 2011 there were 2,846 such estates in Ireland, and they have come to visibly symbolize the collapse of Ireland's 'Celtic Tiger' economy. In this essay, we examine the unfinished estates phenomenon, placing them within the context of Ireland's property boom during the Celtic Tiger years, and conceptualize them as 'new ruins' created through the search for a spatial fix by speculative capitalism in a time of neoliberalism. We detail the characteristics and geography of such estates, the various problems afflicting the estates and their residents, and the Irish government's response to those problems. In the final section we examine the estates as exemplars of new ruins, the remainder and reminder of Celtic Tiger excess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland have accumulated large foreign net liabilities, exposing them to increased financial market pressure during the current crisis period. This analysis decomposes cumulated lending and borrowing over the past decade into sector-level contributions and compares them with the euro area average. It shows strong borrowing by households and non-financial corporations with government further increasing net borrowing in Greece and Portugal. Financial corporations act in this context as intermediaries between foreign savings and domestic borrowers. The sector-level contributions to an economy's foreign net liabilities vary significantly by country, which implies a need for different adjustment paths. In a currency union, given the absence of a mechanism for transfer payments between member states, there is a heightened risk that large foreign liabilities will become unsustainable. Thus, member states must contain external imbalances, which often reflect a loss of competitiveness and internal imbalances, to prevent the reoccurrence of current vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the Celtic Tiger years, the contribution of agriculture to Irish gross domestic product and employment declined as other sectors of the economy boomed. Not surprisingly, interest in the sector over this period, from both the popular media and public representatives, declined. However, since the start of the downturn in Ireland's economic fortunes in late 2007, there has been a renewed interest in the sector. The Irish government's Food Harvest 2020 strategy has set ambitious targets for the expansion of the Irish agricultural fisheries and food sector, but the achievement of these targets will be dependent on overcoming a number of structural and environmental constraints. This paper examines the characteristics of this important indigenous sector in the Irish economy and the major constraints facing it. This study concludes with a discussion on whether or not the agriculture, fisheries and food sector is in a position to contribute to Ireland's economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the time of the first Lehigh University conference on the Irish economy in 2001, Irish real GDP was still growing at an annual rate of almost 6 per cent, following a decade where growth had averaged over 7 per cent. The 'Celtic Tiger' economy was showing signs of ageing - notably with inflation eroding competitiveness and with it Ireland's attractiveness as a destination for FDI - but there was little sense of the 'bubble economy' that would fundamentally alter Irish economic fortunes over the following decade. The succeeding property-driven economy did sustain high growth for another half decade or so, if not at the spectacular rates of the preceding half decade. But it also sowed the seeds for the financial and economic crisis that has so rocked the economy over the last three years. This paper sets the scene for the papers in the symposium with a review of the property boom, bubble and eventual bust. It also reviews the prospects for crisis resolution and export-driven recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the cyclical conduct of fiscal policy in Ireland both before and during the crisis. It shows that fiscal policy has been procyclical, with financial shocks amplifying the fiscal cycle. In addition, it highlights the importance of institutional reform and outlines the case for a formal fiscal framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes an October 14, 2011 symposium at Birkbeck College while introducing articles contained in the issue on politics and peace in Northern Ireland. Topics include dissident republicanism, economic conditions in Ireland, and Ireland's relations with countries such as the U.S. and South Korea.

The article examines the impact of the economy on politics in government in Ireland during 2010. It describes the popularity of the Fianna Fáil party, which the article states was the fourth most popular political party in Ireland in 2010, despite its leadership of the government. The article states that the Green Party, which supported Fianna Fáil, called for an election for January 2011. The article also examines the political prospects of the main Irish opposition political party, Fine Gael. The author argues that Fine Gael was not able to capitalize on the declining popularity of Fianna Fáil. The article discusses the resignation of Irish minister for defence Willie O'Dea and the retirement of government minister Martin Cullen. The article also discusses the Irish parliament.

This article examines Ireland's financial crisis. Thus far explanation has focused on individual or collective administrative failure: the office(r) of financial regulation singularly failed to scrutinise the banks sufficiently: it was a matter of poor risk management. While this article would agree that the (mis)management of risk was important to how the crisis unfolded, I argue that an explanation of why the crisis emerged demands an altogether different focus. Put simply, after financial regulatory reform, a reconfiguration of risk in politics took place as the locus of decision-making about financial risk shifted from the realm of the political/legal (Cabinet/Central Bank/Department of Finance) to the economic/legal (retail banks, shareholders/consumers). It was a critical development, one that mirrored events taking place in the UK, upon which Ireland drew experience, for now assessments about risk undertaken by the banks demanded that intervention could be justified only on an ascertainable risk, not a theoretical uncertainty (or spurious fear). The evidentiary bar for intervention was therefore raised, removing the precautionary instinct implicit in the prudential governance of Central Banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the liberal democratic world, the practice of lobbying governments and policy makers is considered integral to the process of policy formulation. Lobbying in Ireland has come to the fore of public policy debates given the catastrophic collapse of the Irish economy since late 2008 and the role played by lobbyists in contemporary Irish politics. This article offers the results of one of the first significant questionnaires on lobbying regulation given to politicians, lobbyists and administrators in the Republic of Ireland. The aim of this article is to present Irish policy makers with a range of options to consider in relation to devising a system of lobbying regulation to promote transparency. We present insights into international best practice in terms of lobbying regulations so that Irish policy makers can reach informed decisions when considering this matter. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the dynamics of interest group lobbying in Ireland, and the mechanism of lobbying through social partnership, an institutionalized form of deliberative policy making. Following the resignation of Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach (prime minister) in May 2008 and the collapse of the Irish economy, the influencing and lobbying ability of the social partners has waned, and this paper explores how interest groups amended their lobbying tactics to cope with the rise and fall of social partnership in Ireland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1987 trade unions have been a key party to social partnership agreements in Ireland. Theoretical and empirical studies of corporatism point to positive outcomes for trade unions such as an increase in union density, ease of recognition, and increased employer support. However, apart from a modest increase in union membership numbers, none of these outcomes were realised. Union density levels have decreased significantly, union recognition is more problematic than ever, and employer opposition appears to have increased in scope and intensity. Decline in union density questions the capacity of unions to remain pivotal actors in the future. During the period of partnership union density in the private sector more than halved. It remains the paradox of partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Ireland, which experienced an economic boom in the mid 1990s, as a case study, the negative association between economic growth and religious practice is examined by testing two competing hypotheses. Secularization theory argues that the cultural changes that accompany economic growth lead to a decline in religious values. As religious values diminish, so does attendance at religious services. An alternative explanation is that economic growth increases individual purchasing power and therefore consumption-related behavior. Consumption supplants religion by providing alternative intermediaries (symbols, infrastructures, and practices) for social behavior, but only marginally affects religious values. Using data from the 1988 to 2005 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), analyses show that the economic boom in Ireland was clearly associated with a decline in religious attendance, while religious values remained stable. Thus, in Ireland the consequences of economic growth deviate from the predictions of secularization theory and therefore support the consumption argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a variety of sources and research methods, this article argues that centralized wage bargaining contributed to the “Celtic Tiger” phenomenon by linking wage increases in the dynamic multinational companies sector to wage and productivity increases in the much more sluggish domestic sector of the economy and, in so doing, considerably increased the competitiveness of foreign multinational companies—a key driver of Irish growth. The article also argues that much-received wisdom about the institutional and organizational preconditions for centralized wage regulation needs to be reconsidered in light of the Irish case. Public sector unions played a pivotal role in initiating and sustaining wage centralization, yet their leadership role did not undermine its effectiveness. Likewise, internal democratic procedures and the absence of wage compression policies, rather than centralized organizational structures, facilitated compliance with centralized wage policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social partnership in Ireland has attracted considerable international attention. This paper examines the origins, focus, and institutional architecture of the Irish social partnership model. The paper also examines social partnership in the context of the theory of social pacts and suggests that the institutionalization of social partnership can be attributed to the continuing significance of compensatory political exchange, the influences of partnership networks, and the effects of new mechanisms for conflict resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2000 the Irish government introduced a national minimum wage of IR£4.40 (&U20AC;5.58) an hour. We use data from a specifically designed survey of firms to estimate the employment effects of this change. Employment growth among firms with low-wage workers prior to the legislation was no different from that of firms not affected by the legislation. A more refined measure of the minimum wage, however, suggests that the legislation may have had a negative effect on employment for the small number of firms most severely affected by the legislation. However, the size of these effects is relatively modest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented and discusses articles found within the issue on topics such as the economic growth and conditions of Ireland, public sector spending on welfare in Portugal and Greece, and the effect of the financial crises in Europe on the Czech Republic.

Discusses economic-related issues in Ireland as of October 1988. Gross domestic product growth; Decrease in public expenditures; Experiments in pseudo-Keynesianism; Privatization of state enterprises; Tax policy.

Offers some insights from the experience of Ireland's integration into the European Union. Lessons for Central and Eastern European Countries; Comparison of Ireland's successful phase of economic development with the earlier unsuccessful period; Timing of the turnaround.