In the decade before the famine, Ireland experienced a boom in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). This paper analyses the motivations of MFI proponents and practitioners, and finds evidence linking the boom in MFIs with the introduction of the poor law in 1838. Many contemporary writers saw...

Pawnbroking, one of the oldest and most accessible forms of credit, was a common feature of life in pre-famine and famine Ireland. This paper studies the role of pawnbroking in the Irish financial system during this important period, applying insights from modern studies on fringe banking to...

This paper examines the market for priests from the perspective of economics. While loss of vocations has been attributed to, among other things, changes to the priesthood effected by Vatican II, the continued requirement of celibacy, and the lack of respect for priests and the Church, our...

Given increasing obesity rates, fingers are often pointed at quot;big foodquot; and their marketing practices. Restaurant meals are indeed larger than home-cooked meals, and portion sizes have increased. We consider constrained quot;socially optimalquot;-rather than decentralized...

OPEC's stated mission is to promote the economic development and growth of its member states while minimizing volatility in the oil markets. But after a promising beginning many member states - economies have declined rather than prospered - a clear indication of OPEC's failure to meet their...

In the decade before the famine, Ireland experienced a boom in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). This paper analyses the motivations of MFI proponents and practitioners, and finds evidence linking the boom in MFIs with the introduction of the poor law in 1838. Many contemporary writers saw...

We present a model in which agents value food, leisure and health, and take into account how their food consumption and leisure affect their health. Drawing insights from behavioral psychology and medical practice, agents face adjustment costs in choosing consumption and leisure. We find that...

In a two‐country general equilibrium Ricardian model, we propose a model in which countries compete in the same sectors via exports or foreign direct investment (FDI). Factor endowments are important in that they affect relative wages and the range of goods countries produce. Effects of factor...