This paper provides a first attempt at an explanation of Irish economic growth along the lines proposed by the neo-classical growth theory. Production function estimates for gross domestic product are provided using both Cobb-Douglas and constant elasticity of substitution production functions....

Founded in 1832, the Whately Professorship of Political Economy at Trinity College, Dublin was the first chair of its kind in Ireland, and the examination papers given to its potential holders uniquely document the criteria for mastery of political economy in nineteenth century Ireland and...

This paper analyses competition between direct and intermediated trade. We show that a middleman's supply and demand depend on both his bid and ask prices if sellers and buyers have the alternative of trading directly. Multiplicity also prevails. Direct trade does not constrain the market power...

This paper is an assessment of the approach suggested by Gary Fields for measuring inequality in an economy with high-income sector enlargement. This approach describes the change in inequality according to a U-pattern, instead of the inverted U-pattern described by other indices. We argue that...

This paper examines how the introduction of a direct trade alternative for buyers and sellers affects competition among middlemen. Direct trade makes the middlemen's supply and demand functions depend on both bid and ask prices, a feature we term interdependence. A simple model is used to...

The impact on demand for a gambling product of the introduction of a competing product is a topical issue in Britain, Ireland and elsewhere. We consider empirically the demand for Lotto itself and for fixed-odds betting on Lotto draw. The evidence suggests that these products are complements....

In this paper we investigate the build-up in male long-term unemployment by allowing for heterogeneity both in the unemployment inflow and conditional survival rates. We construct semi-annual series of the male flows into and out of the Irish Live Register for the period 1967 to 1995 and develop...

This paper develops a theoretical model of how bookmakers' odds are determined, given varying levels of inside information on the part of punters. Bookmakers' attitudes towards risk and the degree of competition between them will influence bookmaker behaviour. Using a data set of 1,696 races in...

The Competition Act in 1991 repealed all legally binding Orders in Ireland except for the 1987 Groceries Order. Article 11 of this Order categorically prohibits retail pricing in the grocery sector below the net invoice price of the wholesaler or manufacturer. The vast range of products retailed...

Has the new Polish labour market created opportunities for all or has the distribution of work been split unequally across household types? Are low unemployment outflows caused by increased congestion from employed job seekers or by low entry wages relative to benefit levels? Using data from...