In this Paper we extend the standard human capital earnings function to include dispersion in the rate of return to schooling by treating the return as a random coefficient. One motivation is that if dipping further into the ability distribution has brought about the increase in supply of...

In this paper we extend the standard human capital earnings function to include dispersion in the rate of return to schooling by treating the return as a random coefficient. One motivation is that if the increase in supply of skilled workers has been brought about by dipping further into the...

We apply the theory of real options to the problem of education choice when returns to education are uncertain. We show that the length of time spent in school will be an increasing function of the risk associated with education and not just the expected return. This fact has been neglected in...

We analyse how progressive taxation and education subsidies affect schooling decisions when the returns to education are stochastic. We use the theory of real options to solve the problem of education choice in a dynamic stochastic model. We show that education attainment will be an increasing...

We analyse how progressive taxation and education subsidies affect schooling deci- sions when the returns to education are stochastic. We use the theory of real options to solve the problem of education choice in a dynamic, life-cycle consistent, stochastic model. We show that education...

We address the question of whether the volume of manufacturing trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is more or less than might be expected in the light of international experience. We estimate a gravity equation for bilateral manufacturing trade between 28 developed...

We examine the ability of the Expansionary Fiscal Contraction (EFC) hypothesis to explain the performance of of OECD economies during times of crisis. We find some limited evidence in its favour - if public consumption is reduced in response to a fiscal crisis (as defned by a high level of...

We examine the usefulness of the Expansionary Fiscal Contrac- tion hypothesis in explaining the performance of the Irish and Danish economies. We find some evidence in favour of a weak version of the EFC hypotheisis - If the budget deficit is reduced in response to a fis- cal crisis, consumption...