Housing markets and their cycles are central to understanding macroeconomic fl uctuations. As housing is an inherently spatial market, an understanding of the economics of location-specific amenities is needed. This paper examines this topic, using a rich dataset of 25 primary location-specific...

This beginners’ guide to MATLAB for economics and econometrics is an updated and extended version of Frain (2010). The examples and illustrations here are based on Matlab version 8.3 (R2014a). It describes the new MATLAB Desktop, contains an introductory MATLAB session showing elementary...

This paper empirically tests whether decoupled subsidies decrease investment financing constraints faced by farms. Using a panel dataset from Ireland over the period 2005-2010, we test whether the CAP decoupled subsidy payments reduce credit constraints by altering the risk profile of farm...

Whether the UK should hold a referendum on continued membership of the European Union (EU) is one of the issues in its general election to be held in May 2015. A possible British withdrawal, or Brexit, would have profound implications for Ireland and particularly for its agri-food sector, given...

We analyze the determinants and dynamics of a highly protected housing market. Based on Swiss data for the time period 1990 to 2009 we model house prices and construction activity. We find that house prices exhibit a positive association with construction price, working age population as well as...

We investigate the impact of peer competition on longevity using a unique historical data set of classical composers. We measure the geographic concentration of peers by the number of composers located in the same area and the time spent in one of the main geographic clusters for classical...

Tax expenditures are perceived to represent a ‘pervasive and growing’ (OECD, 2010) element of many national taxation systems. Despite this, in many countries, there remains a critical lack of understanding of their impact and scale. A 2010 OECD analysis produced data for only seven of its...

Ireland’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the EU/IMF requires government to introduce a recurring annual property tax. While the MoU has not specified the precise form this new taxation measure will adopt, commitments in the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014 and Fine Gael/Labour...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Competitiveness Council (NCC) report that despite pressing EU policy requirements, Ireland remains heavily dependent on indigenous landfill capacity and overseas markets for its Residual Solid Waste (RMSW) reprocessing and waste to energy...

Significant horse races taking place in Britain and France frequently involve participants from both countries. The existence of distinct and segmented wagering markets in each country facilitates the study of potentially different market behaviors. Using over eight hundred observations from...