Conflict, Concertation and Innovation: An Alternative Approach to Irish Social Partnership

This paper explores alternative approaches to understanding the economic implications of social partnership in Ireland. Discussion of orthodox approaches identifies a number of shortcomings, including a narrow definition of competitiveness and the lack of a conflict perspective. Previous work within the field of Comparative Political Economy suggest that Social Concertation Agreements can mitigate the effects of social conflict in a manner which is economically advantageous. The literature on National Systems of Innovation places considerable emphasis on the importance of innovation as the basis on long-term competitiveness. Innovation, however, can be process, which is fraught with conflict. It follows, therefore, that a major contribution of social partnership in Ireland may be the facilitation of innovation.