Many previous studies have shown that the localisation of firms can be an important factor in attracting new foreign direct investment into a host country. What has been missing in this literature thus far, however, is an investigation into the reasons why industry clusters attract firms. We...

The Investment Development Path (IDP) hypothesis holds that a country’s net outward direct investment position is systematically related to its level of economic development. Ireland is an interesting test case because of the importance of inward FDI over the last three decades, the country's...

Ireland’s relatively late and feeble fertility transition remains poorly-understood. The leading explanations stress the role of Catholicism and a conservative social ethos. Previous studies rely on evidence that is not sufficient to support firm conclusions. This paper reports the first...

This paper uses a discrete choice approach to investigate factors influencing starting and quitting smoking, in particular the role of tobacco taxes. Standard probit analysis is applied to both starting and quitting. Tobacco taxes appear to exert a negative influence over decisions to start...

Ten states, primarily from Central and Eastern Europe, are likely to be admitted to the EU within the next few years. The present paper assesses the competitiveness implications of this enlargement for Ireland. Four specific topics are considered: the trade effects, the implications for...

This paper examines the issues involved in setting the appropriate tax on cigarettes in Ireland. It compares Irish tax rates with those in other EU countries and then examines the external costs of cigarette consumption in Ireland. The paper concludes by reviewing some recent evidence that...