It is clear that some regions in Ireland are growing much more than others (see Regions and Recovery post), with some even showing ‘growth strains’ (Dublin Economic Monitor, Issue 1, Spring 2015, p.4 ). It is also evident that while national economic growth is the main policy objective, policy on where this growth should occur is less clear. This lack of direction is compounded by the hiatus waiting for the development of a successor to the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) (2002), which is not likely to emerge until late 2016 at the earliest.
In the meantime, work to promote ‘balanced regional development’ continues with policy initiatives and actions being developed to spread growth and development more widely across the country, including the recently announced IDA Strategy 2015-2019 to boost regional FDI employment, along with the formulation of Regional Action Plans for Jobs, and the implementation of recommendations from the Commission for the Economic Development…
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Ireland after NAMA 
May 13, 2015 at 9:34 am
Is it not time to move away from traditional regionalisation? Commute times in ireland are well down with motorways. A commute in New York or even Germany of an hour or two is not exceptional. This 1-2 hour range includes large swathes of the population
Plus the old notion of 9-5 work is passing away with the Boomers.
Surely the West Coast should be the ‘amenity’ area of the country and the east coast the ‘industrial’ areas. A bit like Austrian alps are the playground for Germans, The Med is playground for French ? New England is a playground for NY and Boston?
Regionalisation is like voting , it always will and can only cause division. Let each play to their strengths.
The West strengths are the welcoming people and the scenery and their leisure infrastructure. The East has an aggressive commercial nature with a business facilitating infrastructure.
The midlands have the most wonderful agricultural areas through the golden Vale and into North Leinster. Plus then the wonderful artistic nature of the people of the border counties.
These are generalisations and within that there can be centres of excellence in other economic activities. But these are existing strengths? Surely?
JA
May 13, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Thanks for reblogging my post. An important issue that needs wider debate.
Deirdre
May 21, 2015 at 12:12 am
The disgraceful behaviour in Portlaoise hospital raises many serious questions, but an angle that occurred to me is this: were the failures of the hospital due in part to a failure of regional policy?
It appears that the hospital was allowed to keep a designation (the terminology escapes me) suggesting that it is of a higher standing than it really is. In other words, local sensitivities were massaged by the hospital pretending to be a regional centre of a given standard, but the staff and resources were such that it really should have been downgraded.
So has the political poltroonery which has always marked regional policy in Ireland led to the avoidable death of babies?