The Irish authorities are adopting consolidation measures to meet the original fiscal targets as well as implementing structural reforms in the labor market and sheltered sectors to enhance competitiveness. Strengthened euro area support for Ireland’s growth and debt sustainability would...

This paper considers elements of macroeconomic policy central to Ireland’s objective of being among the first countries to enter into European Economic and Monetary Union. The paper analyzes the main determinants of the Irish pound/sterling exchange rate, an issue brought to the fore by the...

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix on Ireland examines the productivity growth in Irish traded and nontraded goods, and provides some rough estimates of the sort of wage and inflation differentials that would be predicted by a Balassa–Samuelson framework under certain growth...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes budgetary developments in Ireland during the 1990s. The paper highlights that Irish fiscal policy has been central to the social consensus on macroeconomic policies. The economic buoyancy has reinforced this cycle by facilitating the tax cuts and increases in...

This Selected Issues paper presents a description of fiscal developments in Ireland since 1980. It attempts to decompose the improvement in the fiscal accounts into contributions from pure fiscal policy measures and contributions from other factors. Fiscal policy in 1997 and the budget for 1998...

The Irish authorities steadfastly maintained strong policy implementation despite a sharp escalation and expansion of stress in euro area sovereign bond markets. Strengthened European support is welcome, but early implementation is key, and restoring broader stability in the euro area is...

This 1999 Article IV Consultation highlights that Ireland’s economic performance in recent years has been exceptionally strong. Output and employment have been growing much faster than in the rest of Europe. Real GDP growth averaged 7.5 percent per year in 1993–98, reflecting a sharp...

The sharp and sustained increase in Ireland's housing prices well in excess of income growth, together with rapidly declining affordability for new house buyers, raises concerns that expectations-led demand may have resulted in housing prices overshooting their sustainable levels. The paper...

Ireland continues to achieve spectacular economic growth. Strains associated with the rapid growth have become more visible. Fiscal policy should be tightened to restrain excess demand pressures. Strict adherence to the agreed wage increases under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF)...

The economic and financial pressures facing Ireland are intense. The banking sector is at the fulcrum of Ireland’s problems. The program, therefore, aims to restore the banking system. It will address structural problems and restore confidence. A leaner and more robust banking sector is the...