The paper attempts to assess the major sources behind the exceptional Irish growth performance in the 1990s. Contrary to other Tigers, Ireland's growth is due to efficiency gains, rather than capital deepening, but the causes for the swift growth in total factor productivity cannot be pinned...

Economists agree at least on this: it is difficult to find evidence for, or merely to imagine any growth mechanism that does not work through the increase of a stock of capital in one way or another. From a more policy point of view - in particular in terms of the debate of economic development...