This paper sets out to explain the factors behind Ireland.s exceptional period of economic growth from the early 1990s to the mid 2000s. It suggests that an unbending commitment to economic openness and an on-going effort to establish quality domestic institutions were the main drivers of the...

This article uses the theory of path dependency to explain the evolution of employment conflict resolution systems in Ireland and Sweden. It argues that the traditional 'voluntarist' conflict management path followed in Ireland has fragmented as a result of a series of internal developments that...

This paper examines the Irish experience of social partnership at organisation level. It argues that three features in particular distinguish the Irish case. One is the importance attached to a procedural consensus to advance partnership. Another is the stress placed on experimental action in...

After examining the arguments in favour of social economy activities, this article argues that recent initiatives in this area in the Republic of Ireland have not reached maximum potential. Three factors are regarded as holding back performance. One is that the necessary institutional conditions...

This paper argues that European integration has constrained the discretion of industrial relations actors. The result has been not the widely predicted institutional fragmentation of collective bargaining, but a change in the" functioning" of these systems. At the same time, widespread 'social...

The present system of social partnership in Ireland is in its twentieth year. A range of explanations have been put forward to explain why social partnership has been so durable even though it does not possess the institutional endowments often considered necessary to sustain tripartite...

Teague P. and Henderson J. (2006) The Belfast Agreement and cross-border economic cooperation in the tourism industry, Regional Studies 40, 1-14. This paper examines the impact of the Belfast Agreement on north-south economic cooperation in Ireland, using the tourism industry as a case study....

It is widely recognised that the institutional architecture housing monetary union in Europe is deeply flawed. Although there has been considerable discussion about how these shortcomings can be put right, relatively little has been said about the role EU social policy can play in making the...

This article describes and analyses the contribution made by the European Social Fund to training and employment initiatives in Britain. It argues that the full potential of the ESF for an innovative exchange of international experience is held back by central government's decision to channel...