By Stephen McKinley
Ireland has been rated the most globalized country in the world, according to a survey carried out by Foreign Policy magazine and Chicago consulting firm A. T. Kearney.
Sixty-two countries were surveyed and rated according to economic integration, international political engagement, personal contacts and the use of information technology.
Singapore is third, New Zealand 19th, the UK 10th and the U.S. 12th.
Responding to the survey, Ireland’s online free market magazine, the Open Republic, said that because of its small size, Ireland has had to engage with the world in inventive ways in order to survive. The Open Republic is a publication that frequently criticizes Ireland’s socialized, state-influenced economy, calling for greater economic freedom.
In a previous survey, Singapore topped the bill and Ireland came in sixth. The Open Republic editors note that as the data was collected during 2000, Ireland’s faltering economy in 2001 might take the country off the top spot when the 2001 survey is published next year.
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“Since then, Ireland’s IT boom has waned, so our score may fall next time.” the publication said. “Unsurprisingly, evidence of correlation between globalization and prosperity exists, but Ireland’s high score may be partly explained by the fact that, being small, the country needs to transact across frontiers. Good news but food for thought also.”