ABSTRACT
This chapter maps out the concepts such as: 'knowledge economy', 'competitive advantage' or 'flexicurity', in a broad sense, explaining the relevance of these terms for the scope of this book and the centrality of labour markets achieving knowledge-based outcomes. It also introduces the readers to the national case studies by comparing some objective indicators of how Greece, Ireland, and Portugal have measured up with respect to their work-life balance, higher education, and labour-based immigration policies. During the 1990s, there was a veritable explosion in the use of the concept of the knowledge economy. The promise of the knowledge economy captured the imagination of a number of international organizations, notably the OECD and the World Bank. Education and training have always been important drivers of economic growth in the industrialized world, but the demands on post-industrial workers in terms of their 'knowledge' and, importantly, range of skills are considered to be greater as the result of the post-industrial shift.
