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Global Development Matters
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Ireland Ireland

Next Country: Italy

Overall score 2007: 5.3
Change since 2003: +0.6 (using 2007 methodology)

Ireland ranks 10th overall in 2007. Ireland’s strongest contributions to the development of poor countries come through its high quality foreign aid program and its lack of arms exports to undemocratic governments. But as one of only two countries without a national political risk insurance agency, Ireland ranks as the least supportive CDI country of investment in poor countries. It is also one of the lowest in government support for technology creation and dissemination.

Ireland Scores 2003-2007

2003: 6.3 2003: 5.2 2003: 2.5 2003: 3.7 2003: 6.8 2003: 5.7 2003: 2.6 2003: 4.7 2004: 6.5 2004: 5.2 2004: 2.5 2004: 3.1 2004: 7.6 2004: 5.3 2004: 2.5 2004: 4.7 2005: 6.6 2005: 5.9 2005: 2.5 2005: 3.2 2005: 7.9 2005: 5.1 2005: 2.6 2005: 4.8 2006: 6.2 2006: 5.2 2006: 2.5 2006: 4.7 2006: 8.2 2006: 5.0 2006: 3.0 2006: 5.0 2007: 6.9 2007: 5.3 2007: 2.8 2007: 6.2 2007: 7.9 2007: 4.8 2007: 3.1 2007: 5.3 Ireland

CDI site with animation

 

Country Reports

2007 Results

Aid

  

What it measures

Aid quality is just as important as aid quantity, so the CDI measures gross aid as a share of GNI adjusted for various quality factors: it subtracts debt service, penalizes “tied” aid that makes recipients spend aid only on donor goods and services, rewards aid to poor but relatively uncorrupt recipients, and penalizes overloading poor governments with many small projects.

Ireland Overall

  • Score: 6.9
  • Rank: 5

Ireland Strengths

  • No tied or partially tied aid (rank: 1)
  • High net aid volume as a share of the economy (0.42%; rank: 5)
  • Large amount of private charitable giving attributable to tax policy (rank by share of GDP: 1)
  • Selectivity: large share of aid to relatively poor countries with more democratic governments (rank: 2)

 

Trade

 

What it measures

International trade has been a force for economic development for centuries. The CDI measures trade barriers in rich countries against exports from developing countries.

Ireland Overall

  • Score: 5.3
  • Rank: 18

Ireland Weaknesses

  • High tariffs on agricultural products (40.4% of the value of imports; rank: 5)
  • High agricultural subsidies (equivalent to 16.3% tariff; rank: 21)

 

Investment

 

What it measures

Rich-country investment in poorer countries can transfer technologies, upgrade management and create jobs. The CDI includes a checklist of policies that support healthy investment in developing countries.

Ireland Overall

  • Score: 2.8
  • Rank: 21

Ireland Weaknesses

  • Does not provide political risk insurance through a national agency
  • Does not prevent double taxation of corporate profits earned in developing countries
  • Does not actively participate in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)
  • Does not provide assistance to developing countries to set up investment promotion agencies
  • Does not provide support for outflows of portfolio investment

 

Migration

 

What it measures

The movement of people from poor to rich countries provides unskilled immigrants with jobs, income and knowledge. This increases the flow of money sent home by migrants abroad and the transfer of skills when the migrants return.

Ireland Overall

  • Score: 6.2
  • Rank: 6

Ireland Strengths

  • Large number of immigrants from developing countries entering Ireland (rank by share of population: 2)

Ireland Weaknesses

  • Small share of foreign students from developing countries (37%; rank: 20)
  • Only a small increase during the 1990s in the number of unskilled immigrants from developing countries living in Ireland (rank by share of population: 14)

 

Environment

 

What it measures

Rich countries use a disproportionate amount of scarce resources, and poor countries are most vulnerable to global warming and ecological deterioration, so the CDI measures the impact of policies on the global climate, fisheries and biodiversity.

Ireland Overall

  • Score: 7.9
  • Rank: 2

Ireland Strengths

  • Greenhouse gas emissions grew little in 1995–2005 despite rapid GDP growth (average annual growth rate/GDP, –6.6%; rank: 1)
  • Small number of endangered species imports (rank: 1)

Ireland Weaknesses

  • High greenhouse gas emissions rate per capita (17.3 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent; rank: 18)

 

Security

 

What it measures

Since security is a prerequisite for development, the CDI rewards contributions to internationally sanctioned peacekeeping operations and forcible humanitarian interventions, rewards military protection of global sea lanes, and penalizes arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments.

Ireland Overall

  • Score: 4.8
  • Rank: 11

Ireland Strengths

  • No arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments (rank by share of GDP: 1)

Ireland Weaknesses

  • No protection of global sea lanes

 

Technology

 

What it measures

Rich countries contribute to development through the creation and dissemination of new technologies. The CDI captures this by measuring government support for R&D and penalizing strong intellectual property rights regimes that limit the dissemination of new technologies to poor countries.

Ireland Overall

  • Score: 3.1
  • Rank: 20

Ireland Strengths

  • Low share of government R&D expenditure on defense (rank: 1)

Ireland Weaknesses

  • Low government expenditure on R&D (rank by share of GDP: 20)
  • Allows patents on plant and animal varieties