Resource: Economic Boom
Media Type:
QuickTime Video
Length: 2m 59s
Size: 8.1 MB
Since its entry into the European Union in 1973, the government of Ireland has reformed its policies in an effort to encourage both foreign investment and local entrepreneurship. The result was a transformation that pulled Ireland out of centuries of economic hardship and into a nation that is among one of the richest in the world. In this video from Wide Angle, learn about Ireland’s economic rebirth from Jonathan Walsh, a general manager for Intel, an American company that has established its connection to Europe through its facilities in Shannon, Ireland.
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Loading reviews...Teachers' Domain, Economic Boom, published August 22, 2008, retrieved on ,
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/wa08.socst.world.glob.economic/
- Background Essay
- Questions for Discussion
- Standards
Print Background EssaySince joining the European Community in 1973, Ireland has been transformed from one of Europe's poorest countries to one of the world's richest countries. With many technology industries, a growing GDP, improved infrastructure and increased foreign investments, Ireland is enjoying a strong economic boom. Multinational technology companies such as Intel, Dell, Microsoft, Apple and Google all use Ireland as their gateway to Europe.
Modern Ireland is now one of the most prosperous nations in Europe, for several reasons: economic dependence on the UK has decreased, there is reverse immigration, and a global economy is expanding. Real estate prices are soaring, women are entering the workforce in record numbers, and droves of foreign workers, particularly from Eastern Europe, have come to Ireland hoping to find work. For once in its history, Ireland is prosperous, modern, and a country full of immigrants to the country, instead of emigrants away from it.
All this prosperity is not without its downside, however. As a result of the economic transformation, self-sufficient towns with strong community ties have been replaced by cities, with their share of urban problems. The increase of women in the workforce has also created a change in family structure - family size has decreased and there is a struggle to balance home and work responsibilities. Furthermore, the Catholic church is in jeopardy - gone are the days when the parish priest was revered and Catholic doctrine was central in both government policy and private life.
The city of Limerick, which is located on the River Shannon, is an example of the transformations happening in Ireland. Limerick was historically an agricultural area. Since the 1990s, Limerick's industries and its fortunes have turned - the city has prospered in an economic boom and many multinational companies such as Dell, Analog Devices, and Vistakon are now based in Limerick. These companies now employ thousands of people and contribute substantially to the Irish Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some see this rapid economic development as a mixed blessing, because at the same time as Limerick becomes more prosperous, traditions and beliefs are also being threatened. People who fondly recall "the good old days" are concerned about the changes within their city and country.
This clip is taken from an episode of Wide Angle called "Mixed Blessings." In this film, many aspects of Limerick's transformation are explored. These include economic development, increased immigration and decreased emigration, urbanization, agricultural problems, real estate bubbles, working women, and secularization.
We assign reference terms to each statement within a standards document and to each media resource, and correlations are based upon matches of these terms for a given grade band. If a particular standards document of interest to you is not displayed yet, it most likely has not yet been processed by ASN or by Teachers' Domain. We will be adding social studies and arts correlations over the coming year, and also will be increasing the specificity of alignment.Source: Wide Angle: "Mixed Blessings"
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