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In addition to its well-respected academic grounding, GDSI is exceptional in its accumulation of practical experience in the full range of regional and rural development issues. This experience has been acquired in Ireland and the EU, Eastern Europe, as well as a number of countries of the former Soviet bloc.
GDSI offers a full range of services covering all aspects of regional and rural development, including:
- Regional and rural development planning
- Development policy evaluation and advice
- Surveys and research
- Training
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GDSI has earned a reputation for providing technical support and practical assistance in all aspects of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) development. Our expertise in this area stems from a combination of our resource base and our strong links with local regional and national enterprise development agencies.
GDSI can offer expertise in the following areas:
- Developing institutions to promote SME development
- SME development policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation
- Employment generation
- Entrepreneurship development
- Design, establishment and management of micro-credit funds
- Attraction of mobile investment
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GDSI has from its inception been actively engaged in the field of local and community development. Long associations with local community groups and development authorities have provided GDSI with deep insights into local development structures and processes of sustainable local development.
We offer community groups and local development authorities services in the following areas:
- Area development planning for both urban and rural development agencies
- Local development policy design, monitoring and evaluation
- Assistance with identifying suitable funding sources and completing applications
- Research and report writing
- Organisational development
- Identification and development of sustainable links with other development groups
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Recent developments in tourism trends have challenged the industry to find the correct balance between exploiting tourism potential on the one hand and ensuring sustainability of product life on the other. These challenges have presented GDSI with increasing demand for its training, consultancy and business service in leisure and tourism.
Special expertise can be offered in:
- Tourism planning and analysis of development potential
- Rural tourism
- Infrastructure and facilities in leisure and tourism
- Tourist events
- Marketing and management in leisure and tourism
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GDSI’s staff has considerable experience in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of social policies in a variety of socio-economic and political environments.
Special experience, both in terms of policy formulation and in implementation has been accumulated in:
- Unemployment and labour market restructuring
- Poverty, inequality and social protection
- Design, management and analysis of statistical surveys on social issues
- Social services provision in emerging economies
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GDSI’s core expertise is in sectoral analysis and policy prescription. GDSI’s grounding in both the academic and practical aspects of economic development has yielded a depth and a breadth of experience matched by few similar companies in Europe.
GDSI and its associates have undertaken consultancy and provided policy advice in the following sectors:
- Agriculture
- Fishing
- Industry and Trade
- Transport (Road, Rail, Air and Sea
- IT&T
- Leisure and Tourism
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GDSI has been engaged by national and local authorities and the European commission to monitor and evaluate development policy throughout Ireland, the EU and Central and Eastern Europe.
GDSI’s expertise is well established in impact analysis of:
- Regional and rural development policy
- Agricultural policy
- Industrial policy
- Social policy
- Education policy
- Environmental policy
- Tourism development policy
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GDSI’s close links with the National University of Ireland, Galway, other Irish universities and research institutes as well as its membership of the EuroCARE consortium has provided an excellent training basis. Courses are offered in all aspects of economics, business, public administration and organisational development.
GDSI has particular training competence in:
- Economics
- Business administration
- Public administration
- Agricultural economics
- Leisure and tourism studies
The content of all of GDSI’s training courses in continually under review and tailored specifically to meet the needs of the client. The academic and practical experience of GDSI ensures continued relevance to business and public institutions.
GDSI can plan and manage international study tours, seminars and conferences and can supply specialist speakers and training staff for academic or training events.
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GDSI’s origins in the Centre for Development Studies in the National University of Ireland reflect its experience in the area of research in the social sciences. Our links to the National University of Ireland ensure that all our staff in the areas of statistics, economics, sociology and public administration, are of the highest technical competence.
GDSI has considerable experience in carrying out survey work in Ireland, the EU and other countries, in the following areas:
- Household income survey in urban and rural areas
- Labour force survey
- Household survey, including attitudinal analysis
- Analysis of household budget surveys (examining inter-relationships between macro-economic trends and household budgets)
- Input-output analysis of the economy
In addition, GDSI has developed working links with various research institutions of CEE and NIS, that could provide technical and logistical support if it proves to be necessary.
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GDSI is the leader amongst Irish companies in its experience in project identification, design, analysis, monitoring and evaluation in Ireland, the EU and in emerging economies. This experience spans the whole breadth of GDSI’s activities:
- Regional and rural development projects
- SME and local economic development projects
- Social policy and social impacts projects
- Policy impacts projects
- Sectoral analysis projects
- Education and training projects
- Leisure and tourism projects
Projects identified and designed by GDSI are always responsive to local socio-economic and cultural environments. GDSI seeks to ensure that project design encourages sustainability of action at completion of project operations. Similarly, GDSI analyses, monitors and evaluates projects according to stated project objectives in a transparent and open manner whilst achieving close co-operation with those engaged in project implementation.
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GDSI has gained a considerable reputation in planning and implementation of programmes for socio-economic development in the pre-accession countries and is recognised as one of the leaders in the preparation and carrying out of public sector reform measures supporting development in eastern countries. Particular experience includes dealing with the following:
- Planning and management of ISPA, SAPARD and PHARE programmes
- Preparation of Development Strategies in the context of future EU membership
- Programming support in the preparation for EU Structural and Cohesion Funds
- Training of local actors in management of EU Structural and Cohesion Funds
- Presentation of the EU common policies and development of necessary financial arrangements and administrative structures for their effective implementation
- Provision of information on EU matters
In implementation of projects in pre-accession countries, GDSI seeks co-operation with resident consultancy companies to ensure better understanding of local socio-economic environment, legislature, and needs for reforms.
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