Is Research and Development activity an important determinant of the probability that a plant will survive? We model the survival of a cohort of Indigenous plants over the period 1986 to 1996 as a function of sectoral and firm characteristics. We use a firm-level dataset provided by Forfás, the...

This paper explores the use of the R/S statistic as a means of checking for parameter instability. The nature and properties of the statistic are described, and its behaviour and power in the context of three situations of structural change are examined. The results suggest that the R/S...

Two routes by which foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) may transfer technology - direct R&D undertaken in Ireland or through the transfer of the fruits of R&D work undertaken by the parent firm - are examined. Direct R&D undertaken by MNEs in Ireland now accounts for two-thirds of all R&D...

This paper analyses the concept of linkages and studies the development and the determinants of inter-firm linkages between electronics firms in Ireland and domestic sub-suppliers using firm level data for 1982 to 1995. We discuss the concept of inter-firm linkages and the effects of linkages....

This paper examines the determination of long-run movements in nominal exchange rates across countries. We model the long-run movement in the nominal exchange rate as depending on (i) the long-run inflation differential; and (ii) the long-run change in the real exchange rate. We argue that the...

Total household income inequality can be very different from inequality measured at the income per-capita level but only in recent years has the pattern of this divergence been investigated. In this paper, results from Coulter et al. (1992) using a one-parameter equivalence scale are updated...

Using a gravity model, we estimate the magnitude of potential trade flows between Ireland and the five CEEC countries currently negotiating accession to the EU. We find that Irish exports were already close to their "normal" level in 1994, but that imports from the CEECs were still only half of...

A striking feature of the Irish economic resurgence since 1987 has been a major factor income shift away from labour towards capital. (The profit share has increased from 25.1 percent in 1987 to 34.8 percent in 1996.) In this paper, we examine the role of the national stratey of wage moderation...

In this paper, we analyse the effects of multinational companies on wage inequality in the host country, studying the case of the Irish economy. Based on a model developed by Aghion and Howitt (1998), in which the introduction of new technologies leads to increasing demand for skilled labour...

We take an initial step in investigating the international diverisfication of Irish production risk. We find evidence that Ireland displays some properties associated with international risk sharing. These include: high cross stocks of foreign assets and liabilities; high international...