Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T10:39:00.210Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Peripherality and Northern Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2020

Iain Begg  and
David Mayes
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

In writing recently about the economic problems that Northern Ireland faces (Begg and Mayes, 1994) we argued, uncontroversially, that an end to the ‘Troubles’ would significantly alter the region's prospects. Our analysis, nevertheless, focused on other factors which might be amenable to policy action. With an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland now on the cards, these other characteristics of the Northern Ireland economy must be expected to be of increased importance in determining the Province's competitiveness compared with other parts of the UK and, indeed, other regions of the European Union. In particular, Northern Ireland is a prime example of a ‘peripheral’ economy, located as it is at the North-Western corner of the EU and facing the further barrier of a sea crossing to markets other than the Republic of Ireland. It is also a region that shares a number of the characteristics of the older industrial regions of Britain, such as high unemployment, persistent emigration of working-age population and difficulties in achieving industrial restructuring (Harris et al., 1990; Harris 1991).

Type
Articles
Information
National Institute Economic Review , Volume 150 , November 1994 , pp. 90 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 National Institute of Economic and Social Research

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

∗

This note is based on a study carried out for the Northern Ireland Economic Council, reported in Begg and Mayes (1994). We are grateful to the Council and its Director Paul Gorecki for their support and help. The analysis and conclusions in this note are our own and do not necessarily accord with the position of the Council, its Director or staff. lain Begg is a Senior Research Officer at the Institute of Economics and Statistics in Cambridge, David Mayes who was a Senior Research Fellow at NIESR when this study was undertaken, is now Chief Manager at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

References

Barro, R. and Sala-i-Martin, X. (1991), ‘Convergence across states and regions’, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, pp. 107–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Begg, I.G. (1993), ‘Industrial policy, high technology industry and the regions’, in Harrison R. and Hart M. eds Spatial Policy in a Divided Nation, Jessica Kingsley: London.Google Scholar
Begg, I.G. and Mayes, D.G. (1994), The Implications of Peripherality for Northern Irehand, Report no. 111, Belfast. Northern Ireland Economic Council.Google Scholar
Cambridge Econometrics (1994), Regional Economic Prospects: Analysis and Forecasts to 2005 Cambridge: Cambridge Econometrics.Google Scholar
Camagni R. ed (1991), Innovation Networks London: Belhaven.Google Scholar
Champion, A.G. and Green, A.E. (1990), The Spread of Prosperity and the North-South Divide: Local Economic Performance in Britain during the Late Eighties Gosforth and Kenilworth: Booming Towns.Google Scholar
Department of Economic Development (1987), Building a Stronger Economy: the Pathfinder Process. Belfast: DED.Google Scholar
Department of Economic Development (1990), Competing in the 1990s: the Key to Growth. Belfast : DED.Google Scholar
Hansen, N. (1991), ‘Factories in Danish fields: how high-wage, flexible production has succeeded in peripheral Jutland’, International Regional Science Review 14, pp. 109–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, R.I.D. (1991), Regional Economic Policy in Northern Ireland Aldershot: Avebury.Google Scholar
Harris R.I.D., Jefferson C.W. and Spencer J.E. (1990),eds. The Northern Ireland Economy London: Longman.Google Scholar
Harrison, R.T. and Hart, M. (1990), ‘The nature and extent of innovative activity in a peripheral regional Economy’, Regional Studies, 24(5), pp. 383–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heald, D. (1990), Financing a Scottish Parliament: Options for Debate Glasgow: Scottish Foundation for Economic Research, Discussion Paper no. 1.Google Scholar
Illeris, S. (1993), ‘An inductive theory of regional development’, Papers in Regional Science 72, pp. 113–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeble, D., Owens, P.L. and Thompson, C. (1982), ‘Regional accessibility and economic potential in the European Community’, Regional Studies, vol. 16, no.6, pp. 419–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeble, D.Offord, J. and Walker, S. (1988), Peripheral Regions In A Community Of Twelve Member States Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Community.Google Scholar
Krugman, P. (1991), ‘Increasing returns and economic geography’, Journal of Political Economy 99(3), pp. 483–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lutter, H., Pçtz, T. and Spangenberg, M. (1992), ‘Accesibility and peripherality of community regions: the role of road-, long distance railway- and airport networks’, report to the Commission of the European Communities.Google Scholar
Maillat D. and Perrin J-C. eds. (1992), Entreprises innovatrices et Développement Territorial Neuchatel: EDES.Google Scholar
Mason, G. and Wagner, K. (1994), ‘High-level skills and industrial competitiveness: post-graduate engineers and scientists in Britain and Germany’, National Institute Report Series no. 6.Google Scholar
Nam, C.W. and Reuter, J. (1991), The impact of 1992 and associated legislation on the less favoured regions of the European Community. European Parliament, Research Paper 18, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Community.Google Scholar
Northern Ireland Economic Council (1993a), R&D activity in Northern Ireland. Report no. 101, Belfast: Northern Ireland Economic Council.Google Scholar
Northern Ireland Economic Council (1993b), Transport infrastructure and policy in Northern Ireland. Report no. 107, Belfast: Northern Ireland Economic Council.Google Scholar
Oakey, R.P. and Cooper, S.Y. (1989), ‘High technology industry, agglomeration and the potential for peripherally sited small firms’, Regional Studies 23(4), pp. 347–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oecd (1993), Territorial Development and Structural Change: A New Perspective on Adjustment and Reform, Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
O'Hearn, D. (1993), ‘Global competition, Europe and Irish peripherality’, Economic and Social Review, vol. 24, pp. 169–97.Google Scholar
Porter, M. (1990), The Competitive Advantage Of Nations London: Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quah, D. (1994), ‘Regional growth and convergence: a discussion of Sala-i-Martin's “The Wealth of Regions”’, Moneda y Credito, pp.55–70.Google Scholar
Quigley, W.G.H. (1992), ‘Northern Ireland: a decade for decision’, Belfast: Northern Ireland Economic Council, Report no. 95.Google Scholar
Scott, R. and McGleenon, M. (1994), ‘Increased trade and more jobs’, NI Brief, Parliamentary Brief special issue on Northern Ireland, October, pp. 41–2.Google Scholar
Todtling, F. (1984), ‘Organizational characteristics of plants in core and peripheral regions of Austria’, Regional Studies 18(5), pp. 397–411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Touche Ross (1991), ‘Addressing perceptions of peripherality-a report on inward investment strategy’, for the Industrial Development Board of Northern Ireland.Google Scholar