National Development Policies in the Face of Global Challenges: the Irish “Pendulum”

Divided societies project new cleavages into the contemporary divided world. Assessing cleavages as drivers of social change and evaluating their positive potential versus evident negative impacts is a key element in forecasting prospects of social development. The paper addresses social and economic statistical data, opinion polls and academic research input of the past decade to prove the need to balance tradition and innovation and combine tangible and intangible assets to support the progress of national and local communities. The trend to reduce social inequalities is an important criterion for evaluating the strategic consistency of such policies, whereas the main contextual factor important for their success is the dynamics of support for these policies and the engagement of citizens and communities in their implementation. The example of Ireland as a society that has managed to integrate divisions of the nation and of its historic territory into its development strategies and to promote past cultural traumas as drivers of social cohesion with a long-lasting effect is a representative case in this sense. This case is relevant for explaining the pendulum effects of economic development that can be compensated by consistent social policies, and by recurring to intangible cultural resources and diaspora support to promote an inclusive national identity. Ongoing deep transformations of the existing world order are creating new political spaces, and recourse to intangible resources of development may stimulate a reevaluation of the current conflictual political agenda.