Social Development

At the turn of the twenty-first century, over four-fifths of Ireland's housing units were owned by their residents. Comparatively speaking, Ireland has incredibly high rates of home ownership. As discussed in a previous post, however, Ireland's economy fell in 2008, and as a result, so did the prices of homes. Before the property bubble burst in this year, the prices of homes steadily increased, and there began to be a shortage of homes for Irish citizens (Boland, et al., n.d.). 

In terms of education, Ireland has similar characteristics to the United States. For example, primary school is free and mandatory, whereas secondary education includes private, community, and vocational schools. Students may receive university education at two major schools in Ireland, the University of Dublin, and the National University of Ireland. Both schools have campuses around the country, as education is highly valued for the citizens of Ireland. Though the country's world literacy ranking has fallen to seventeenth in 2010, the government still strives toward more efficient schooling methods in order to create a more successful, maintainable economy. 

By clicking here, we can even see the World Bank's development indicators for the country of Ireland. This information includes life expectancy, school enrollment, population, and GDP.

The following video is an NBC interview of a New York native who moved to Ireland two years ago, speaking on how the citizens of Ireland have reacted to the recent economic downturn. This video demonstrates how the economic status of a society can affect its residents' states of mind.

Sources

Boland, F., Edwards, R.W.D., Kay, S., Ranelagh, J. O., Abhinav, V., Albert, M., ... Young, G.  (n.d.).  Ireland.  Encyclopædia Britannica.  Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/293754/Ireland

Bridgetoofar2.  (2009, March 20).  Life in Ireland [video file].  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKoVxm5QgaU

The World Bank.  (2013).  Ireland Data.  Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/country/ireland