(Photo by Ken Ridgeway)
Some weeks ago, through Bellavista area in Santiago of Chile, a globalized meeting took place at an Irish Pub.
A welcoming party to my aussie friend was the perfect excuse for a drink, travellers are always prepared for outings. After the brief update of our last months, I told them about my new studies on a Master of Business for Global Economies.
I told them I was learning how small countries have been facing globalization the last decades, and the Irish experience was mentioned as the “Celtic Tiger”, Everybody turned to the irish guy and looked at him for a while, trying to figured out a similarity with such a cat.
“Well, Jerry, How did Irish people do that?”- I asked him seriously, as an open question, never mind the noisy place.
He looked at me, deeply, and asked me back. “Why do you want to know that?”
-“Hmm, Firstly, because of what I’m studying and secondly, because we are "supposed" to be part of the structural innovations in Chile when we finish this multicultural programme. Furthermore, honestly, I can not resist the curiosity about what an Irish guy thinks about the Celtic Tiger concept.
He laughed loudly and explained to me:
“Today, Irish people are not travelling and living abroad as much as we did in the last decades, new generations do not need to do it. Actually, Irish people have got the best European education and the best well-paid jobs in the world. Also, we are constantly observing our roots and coming back home. Our history was written for many European immigrants, that’s the Irish blood, a cultural mix. But as a society, I find out the 3 keys: Education, Roads (Infrastructure) and Incentives for foreign investments. We are focused on things we know how to do well: business, travelling and having fun. Cheers for that!!”
We had a lot of fun that night, but I didn’t really understand the relation of those 3 concepts at all. As always, life replies by mysterious ways, and a book appeared on my hands. “Future Cast: How superpowers, population and globalization will change the way you live and work”, it was written by Robert J. Shapiro and was published in April this year.
Shapiro mentioned Ireland as the biggest success of the last generation. “The Celtic Tiger has been the world’s fastest growing developed economy over the last 15 years. From 1990-1995 it grew nearly 5% a year, from 1995-2000 it accelerated to almost 10% a year and from 2000-2005 it grew about 6% a year, twice as fast as the U.S. more than 3 times the rate for euro zone countries and nearly 4 times as fast as Germany.”
-“Hmm, Firstly, because of what I’m studying and secondly, because we are "supposed" to be part of the structural innovations in Chile when we finish this multicultural programme. Furthermore, honestly, I can not resist the curiosity about what an Irish guy thinks about the Celtic Tiger concept.
He laughed loudly and explained to me:
“Today, Irish people are not travelling and living abroad as much as we did in the last decades, new generations do not need to do it. Actually, Irish people have got the best European education and the best well-paid jobs in the world. Also, we are constantly observing our roots and coming back home. Our history was written for many European immigrants, that’s the Irish blood, a cultural mix. But as a society, I find out the 3 keys: Education, Roads (Infrastructure) and Incentives for foreign investments. We are focused on things we know how to do well: business, travelling and having fun. Cheers for that!!”
We had a lot of fun that night, but I didn’t really understand the relation of those 3 concepts at all. As always, life replies by mysterious ways, and a book appeared on my hands. “Future Cast: How superpowers, population and globalization will change the way you live and work”, it was written by Robert J. Shapiro and was published in April this year.
Shapiro mentioned Ireland as the biggest success of the last generation. “The Celtic Tiger has been the world’s fastest growing developed economy over the last 15 years. From 1990-1995 it grew nearly 5% a year, from 1995-2000 it accelerated to almost 10% a year and from 2000-2005 it grew about 6% a year, twice as fast as the U.S. more than 3 times the rate for euro zone countries and nearly 4 times as fast as Germany.”
About foreign investment, the author mentions that “Ireland depends enormously on it, and much of their earnings which are included in Irish national income, flows back to parent companies in the U.S., U.K. and continental Europe.” I can see why its so criticized!!
“Dublin substantially increased support for higher education and creating the friendly environment for companies that would later employ the demographic bulge, by spending liberally on public infrastructure and offering tax relief and special incentives for foreign investments.”
I see.., Ireland set out to become a producer platform for the european market, focused on High-Tech products that would need highly skilled and well paid labour, especially in computers, pharmaceutical and medical equipment.
Oops! I forgot to ask him on which company he is working at in London, and how often is going to Dublin. Anyway, we promised to have a new meeting for Saint Patrick’s holidays next year.
Who knows? I might dance with the tiger for a while, maybe I will get inspired on how to look into my own roots during my travelling.
Will I?
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