The processes that will drive the next stage of the Czech transition are likely to be similar to those promoting real convergence in the Eu cohesion countries. We draw on previous modelling research on the cohesion economies to construct and calibrate a small macrosectoral model of the Czech...

There are a number of factors that are generally agreed to have a role to play in the story of Ireland's recent success. These include the long-term consequences of the fiscal stabilisation of the late 1980s, the European Structural Funds, the increased educational attainment of the workforce,...

The paper collects the available Irish banking statistics from 1840 to 1921, and uses these to speculate about trends in living standards during the period. In particular, it estimates a velocity function for five countries using annual data from 1876 to 1913. It then uses this function to...

In this paper we review the Irish economy's recent economic record and explore the explanations that have been offered for its improved performance since the mid-1980s.

This paper analyses the potential of discriminatory EU enlargement to influence these trade flows. In particular, we present evidence to suggest that enlargement to include some, but not all, of the CEEC's may have a greater potential for trade diversion with production in the new member states...

Our goal here is to offer a better understanding of why workhouse mortality was as high as it was, how it varied across Ireland, and how it affected different groups in the population such as women or children.

Geographical diversification describes the degree to which a firm’s operations in a particular industry are dispersed across countries. This paper presents evidence on the geographical diversification within the EU of the 290-odd largest manufacturing firms in Europe. We also explore how...

A simple look at nominal or effective tariff rates is not sufficient to analyse the trade policy. One has to consider the overall effects of protection, and by definition this requires a general equilibrium approach. The present paper aims to fill this gap in the literature. It makes use of a...

The human costs of famines outlast the famines themselves. An increasing body of research points to their adverse long-run consequences for those born or in utero during them. This paper offers an introduction to the burgeoning literature on fetal origins and famine through a review of research...

Existing studies find little connection between living standards and mortality in England, but go back only to the sixteenth century. Using new data on inheritances, we extend estimates of mortality back to the mid-thirteenth century and find, by contrast, that deaths from unfree tenants to the...