Session 3: Building the Platform for Economic Recovery
2010 Conference >> Session 1|Session 2|Session 3|Session 4
Friday 22 January 2010
This session will explore strategic issues arising in repositioning regional and national economies to recover from the current economic context.
9.50 Welcome by Chair 
Economic Development in the Dublin City Region (PDF)
Patricia Potter, Director, Dublin Regional Authority
10.00 Spatial and Enterprise Strategies: The Key Linkages (Abstract) (PDF)
Celine McHugh, Enterprise Policy Department, Forfás
10.20 The Role of Infrastructure in Economic Recovery (Abstract) (PDF)
Martin Spollen, Strategic Advisor, Strategic Investment Board (NI)
10.40 Stimulating Social and Economic Regeneration at the Local Level: The Necessary Ingredients (Abstract) (PDF)
Brian Murray, Chief Executive, Workspace Group
11.00 Round-Table Discussions / Q&A
11.30 Refreshments
Online Follow-up Discussion
Questions:
1. What are the growth sectors in the Irish and Northern Irish economies that have the potential to create sustainable enterprise & employment and thus ensure that employment targets are established?
2. What are the competitive and other advantages of the island of Ireland that can be used as a platform for employment and enterprise growth?
3. What role does access to infrastructure and integrated land-use strategies play in enhancing the competitiveness of the island of Ireland economy? And where are the opportunities for North / South
cooperation?
During talks on the global economy last weekend as part of the Bank for International Settlements meeting, it was noted by the European Central Bank President, Mr. Trichet, that the glabal economy is in “recovery mode” and that this recovery is being led by “dynamic” emerging markets.
Who are these ‘dynamic’ emerging markets? What makes them dynamic over their international neighbours? And what are the lessons for the island of Ireland in terms of the necessary direction of future growth and investment?
Is it enough to examine whether the island of Ireland has an emerging growth sector that is sustainable in terms of enterprise development over the medium-term? If not, what more should (could) we be doing?
Patricia Potter, Director of the Dublin Regional Authority, noted in opening this session that an economic development action plan has been recently prepared for the four Dublin counties (Fingal, Dublin City, South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown); this plan being a working document that is multi-dimensional and built upon the premise of strong civic leadership.
Were similar strategies to be prepared for the remainder of the island, what would be the most appropriate scale at which they should be (a) prepared and (b) operationalised?
And should such strategies be embedded in the planning and development system?