The knowledge economy has been the dominant paradigm in driving the Irish Economy from the before the era of the Celtic Tiger to the present time of economic slow down. Ireland internationalised its economy and became very competitive with low corporate taxes, relatively low cost of living, and a highly educated English speaking population. This created the conditions for attracting high levels of Foreign Direct Investment.
One of the key components of the creation of the knowledge economy has been the transformation of the Irish education system, this research will investigate this transformation, and the drive towards increasing emphasis on accreditation to satisfy the labour market created by international forces including FDI and the indigenous industries that are competing globally. It will also critically examine the concept of knowledge economy itself and the values, assumptions and meanings have shaped the way that it has been presented. The research will use a critical international political economy approach to locate the concept of the knowledge economy and transformation of the Irish education system in a social, economic, historical, political, cultural and international context.