| 簡介：◎「重新站起來」英語怎麼說？ ◎ thirst-quencher 為何義？ ◎ 財經小詞典：外國直接投資 Dublin: Phoenix Rising
Ireland is known for hitting peaks and lows. A devastating famine and a desperate fight for independence will forever be part of the national identity. In recent decades, Ireland has yo-yoed economically. Starting in 1995, the country focused on attracting foreign direct investment, ushering in a period of growth that earned Ireland the nickname Celtic Tiger. In 2005, The Economist credited Ireland with the best quality of life worldwide. Just before it all came tumbling down in 2008, Ireland ranked as one of the world's wealthiest countries in the OECD by GDP per capita.
At the center of the prosperity, Dublin accounted for nearly half of the country's GDP at ��40,000 per capita and the second-highest wages worldwide. It became home to many multinationals, notably in the high-tech sector, which relocated their legal headquarters to enjoy Ireland's astoundingly low 12.5-percent corporate tax rate.
A property bubble resulted from irresponsible bank loans. When the housing market collapsed, Ireland was the first European Union nation to enter recession, its GDP shrinking by 14 percent. However, with a joint EU-IMF bailout of ��85 billion, Ireland got back on its feet and has zoomed by its neighbors in terms of growth, at 6 percent in 2015. The country's new epithet is Celtic Phoenix.
Many problems remain on the ground. The unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in late 2015. In Dublin, lack of affordable housing poses a palpable threat to recovery, dissuading talented workers from moving there.
都柏林：浴火重生的金融科技之都
愛爾蘭以在頂峰及低谷間跌跌宕宕聞名。一場毀滅性的飢荒和尋求獨立的殊死戰將永遠是其國族認同的一部分。近數十年來，愛爾蘭的經濟上下動盪。自 1995 年起，這個國家就專注於吸引外國直接投資，開創了經濟成長期，這為愛爾蘭贏得了「凱爾特之虎」的暱稱。2005 年，《經濟學人》給予愛爾蘭「世界最佳生活品質」的讚譽。而就在 2008 年全面崩塌的前夕，依據人均國內生產毛額，愛爾蘭在經濟合作暨發展組織中名列全球最富有的國家之一。
最繁榮之際，都柏林的四萬歐元人均生產毛額幾乎占國家總數額的一半，其薪資也是世界第二高。都柏林成為許多跨國企業的所在地，尤其是高科技產業。這些公司搬遷其法定上的總部以享受愛爾蘭奇低的 12.5% 公司稅稅率。
不負責的銀行貸款導致房產泡沫化。當房市場崩盤時，愛爾蘭是第一個進入衰退的歐盟國，其國內生產毛額萎縮了 14%。然而，歐盟和國際貨幣組織 850 億歐元的共同紓困讓愛爾蘭重新站了起來，經濟成長率急速超越鄰近國家，在 2015 年達到 6%。愛爾蘭於是有了「凱爾特鳳凰」的新暱稱。
愛爾蘭國內仍有許多問題尚待解決。2015 年年底的失業率為 8.9%。在都柏林，缺乏價格合理的房子明顯對其復甦造成威脅，使得人才不願意移居過去。
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