The competition state – lessons from Ireland

International attention has been focused on the mechanisms through which Ireland created the conditions for its economic boom in the late 1990s, the Celtic Tiger. Foremost among these was the role of the state on which extensive debates developed. This paper surveys the role played by the Irish state, identifying the principal policy mechanisms used. The following section surveys debates on how the Irish state has itself changed over the period of the Celtic Tiger, between proponents of Ireland as a developmental state and those who argue that Ireland is a competition state. The essential differences between both characterisations are identified. This opens an examination in the following section of how the differences can be explained which seeks to find common ground to understand the nature of the contemporary Irish state. The final section draws lessons for the international debates on the nature of the state in this globalised world.