Přímé zahraniční investice a strukturální transformace irské ekonomiky v letech 1950 - 2024

This bachelor´s thesis examines the role of foreign direct investment in the structural transformation of the Irish economy between 1950 and 2024. It focuses on the development of the Irish economic model from post-war protectionism, through the liberalisation of trade relations, to the post-crisis economy increasingly based on services, intangible assets and high-value-added activities. The thesis examines how the role of foreign direct investment changed in individual periods and how it was related to changes in Ireland´s sectoral structure, export orientation, employment and economic performance. In the analytical part, the thesis applies a historical-analytical approach and draws primarily on academic literature, institutional documents and statistical data on the development of FDI, employment, value added, wages, productivity and the ownership structure of enterprises. The thesis emphasises the difference between the foreign-owned and domestic sectors and points to other factors that influenced the form of Ireland’s structural transformation. These factors include the liberalisation of trade relations, European integration, the tax regime, the development of human capital and the institutional policy of the state.