The role of tax policy in Ireland's economic renaissance

This paper analyzes the role of tax policy in the transformation of the Irish economy from the 1980s to the 1990s. Details are provided of the marked underperformance of the economy in the 1980s, evidenced by rising unemployment, falling employment, stagnant living standards, and a looming fiscal crisis. The correction of the fiscal imbalances in the late 1980s was followed by a remarkable transformation of the economy. In the 1990s, the Irish economy led Europe in terms of employment creation, unemployment reduction, and improved living standards. The increasing ratio of debt to gross domestic product was reversed, and Ireland easily qualified to adopt the European common currency in 1999.