Readings, misreadings and politics: the Irish model in Greek public discourse and reality

This chapter aims to assess how the Irish model affected Greek public discourse and policy. It is argued that the dissemination of the Irish model should not be understood as a top-down process of translation of a clear and well-defined text (i.e. a clear set of policies and practices). The signifier Irish model was used by different political and economic actors to serve different and often conflicting purposes. It was used as a rhetorical device to promote or denounce particular understandings and strategies of economic development; it was used as an ideological marker; it was finally used as a compact, or indeed a substitute, for actual policy reforms. It can thus be argued that through these strategic games and discursive struggles, the Irish model discourse emerged in Greece in a bottom-up manner.