Options

Abstract

This chapter looks at the options facing the Ireland of the Celtic Tiger. It begins by mapping out its present situation in the light of the analysis presented in this book, highlighting the likely prospects for Irish society under the current model. The following section introduces the topic of globalisation, acknowledging the role it has played in Ireland’s economic success but drawing attention to socially damaging aspects which manifest themselves in the Irish case but which are largely overlooked in the social science literature on the Celtic Tiger. Since the feasible options that present themselves depend on an assessment of the nature of globalisation and the room for manoeuvre it offers, three options are then outlined, each resting on a different understanding of globalisation, and an argument is made for one of these options in the light of the developmental concerns already expressed in this book. In the penultimate section, some means to realise the objectives of the chosen option are presented. The final section draws conclusions.

How can the state be pulled back from its current tilt towards market-driven globalism, and led to manifest a greater degree of receptivity towards people-driven globalism, thereby over time achieving a new political statis that supports the kind of institutional and legal superstructure that could underpin humane governance for the planet?

Professor Richard Falk, 1996, 16