The Northern Ireland Economy: Problems and Prospects
Statistical & Social Inquiry Society of Ireland (http://www.ssisi.ie/) invites you to attend the fifth Ordinary Meeting of the 173rd session, where a presentation entitled "The Northern Ireland Economy: Problems and Prospects" will be given by John Fitzgerald (Trinity College Dublin & Economic & Social Research Institute) and Edgar Morgenroth (Dublin City University).
The talk will take place on Thursday 9th April at 4.30 pm, with the vote of thanks led by Esmond Birnie (University of Ulster). An abstract of the talk follows below.
Given the measures taken to address the covid19 epidemic, this meeting will take place online.
To allow them to manage the event effectively, they are asking that those who wish to attend register their interest through the meeting's Eventbrite page.
Details to join will then be sent on Thursday 9th ahead of the meeting itself, by email, to all those who have registered. This includes those who responded to Ronan Lyon's first email but did not sign up via Eventbrite - i.e. if you have already emailed Ronan Lyon about attending, you do not need to register again via Eventbrite.
As ever, feel free to circulate this invite widely, as non-members are welcome to attend.
Abstract: This paper considers the lacklustre performance of the Northern Ireland economy in recent decades, in particular the very low productivity growth. The low level of human capital and the continued low levels of investment account for much of this poor performance. To address its economic weakness, Northern Ireland needs to reallocate resources to investment in physical and human capital over a sustained period. To date, large transfers from central government have ensured that the standard of living in Northern Ireland is close to the UK average and above that of Ireland, in spite of its weak economy. However, the dependence of Northern Ireland on these transfers leaves it very vulnerable to shocks. Because of Northern Ireland’s dependence on transfers and its weak economic structure, Irish unification, however it was handled, would be likely to be very expensive for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
John Fitzgerald, Trinity College Dublin & Economic & Social Research Institute
and Edgar Morgenroth, Dublin City University