Dunedin Academic Press Publishes Ireland’s Economic Success: Reasons and Lessons by Paul Sweeney

Edinburgh, United Kingdom, May 08, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Dunedin Academic Press launches the international edition of Paul Sweeney’s successful Ireland’s Economic Success with a new insightful introduction from prominent economist, Frances Cairncross, Rector of Exeter College, University of Oxford, who was on the staff of The Economist for many years.

Over the past two decades, Ireland’s wealth has grown exponentially, with double digit economic growth from the boom in the 1980s to the early 2000s. The standard of living has lifted from not far above Third-World levels to the second highest in Europe. The Celtic Tiger has been a remarkable accomplishment.

In his new book, Ireland’s Economic Success, Paul Sweeney investigates the circumstances of this exceptional economic development through interviews with the individuals at the frontline of this time of change including departing Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. The contents include:

• Introduction to the International Edition, Frances Cairncross with Daragh McDowell
• Author’s Preface and Introduction
• A Brief Economic History of Ireland
• Peter Sutherland, International Banker, formerly European Commissioner for competition policy.
• David Begg, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trades Unions.
• Frances Ruane, Director, Economic and Social Research Institute.
• Joe Macri, formerly CEO of Microsoft Ireland.
• Gary McGann, Group Chief Executive Smurfit Kappa Group.
• Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister).
• Olivia O’Leary, political analyst and broadcaster.
• Analysis of the Reasons for Ireland’s Economic Success
• The Hard Facts on Ireland’s Economic Success.
• Building Blocks of Prosperity.
• Appendixes, Bibliography, Notes & Index

The interviews and Sweeney’s own examination explain how EU membership, tax and investment policies have all played a vital part in the growth and eventual boom in Ireland. Sweeney addresses how Social Partnerships and wage restraint combined with an educated Anglophone workforce to enable Ireland to compete on the global stage; he also explores the social changes that accompanied and supported this development.

However, the book is not without its warnings for one of the most open economies on Earth as he investigates how Ireland’s fiscal policies may have implications for Ireland’s future, particularly in a time of global economic slowdown.

This book provides an essential backdrop for those analysing the current economic climate, both in Ireland and on a wider European scale. It exemplifies how US foreign investment, fiscal policies and other factors had a dramatic effect on a small European economy, reporting the experience of those who were influential in its growth. For those wishing to interpret what can be learned from the creation of the Celtic Tiger for other developing economies and the implications for the European economy in the coming years this book will be valuable reading.

To review Ireland’s Economic Success, please contact Laura Cox, laura.cox@frontlinegms.com to obtain a review copy.

About Dunedin Academic Press
Dunedin Academic Press (www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk/) is an independent academic and professional publishing house, founded in 2000 and based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its list contains authors and subjects from the wide academic world and Dunedin’s horizons are far broader than its immediate Scottish environment.

###