Competitiveness
Within Northern Ireland there are a number of surveys undertaken annually under the remit of government, at the plant level. These surveys cover areas such as productivity, trade and enterprise, and whilst they are utilised by Government for their own statistical purposes, relatively little research has been carried out which links the datasets to provide more detailed analysis of economic issues in Northern Ireland. The work proposed to be undertaken on plant level research therefore seeks to use and link relevant datasets to conduct detailed research under a number of themes.
Researchers
Karen Bonner, Michael Anyadike-Danes, José Luis Iparraguirre D'Elia
Completed Works
Who Exports? A Firm-Level Study of the Characteristics of Exporters and the Determinants of Export Performance for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
Assessing the Impact of Marketing Assistance on the Export Performance of Northern Ireland SMEs
Work in Progress
- The Effect of Entry and Exit on Establishment Level Productivity in Northern Ireland Manufacturing
- Innovation and Performance in Northern Ireland Manufacturing: An Investigation using Establishment Level data
- The Impact of Clustering on Employment at Plant Level
In 2004-05 ERINI commenced work on a major study on ‘The Costs of Doing Business in Northern Ireland’ and a framework for benchmarking the competitive position of the NI economy against other countries and regions. The work was published in December 2005. We plan to build on the foundations of this work by maintaining the competitiveness index using the latest data available.
Researchers
Angela McGowan, Karen Bonner
Completed Works
Measurement and Benchmarking of Competitiveness – The Cost of Doing Business in Northern Ireland
Competing in the Global Economy: How Competitive is the NI Business Environment
The Measurement and Benchmarking of the Competitiveness of Northern Ireland: Scoping Study & Composite Index
Achieving productivity growth is central to economic performance. This is recognised by DETI’s Economic Vision for Northern Ireland which seeks to improve “our global competitiveness through increased productivity and value-added leading to enhanced market share in products and services”. Hence there is a need to establish a base-line against which future performance might be judged, but there is also is a need to go beyond such traditional growth accounting exercises. The UK government approach to industrial policy in general and regional policy in particular, now relies on a conceptual framework which involves the “five drivers” of productivity growth: investment; innovation; skills; enterprise; and competition; and measures of these five have been set out (these are known as the Regional Economic Performance (REP) PSA indicators). The work listed below covers a spectrum of analysis designed to substantially improve our understanding of the nature and causes of regional productivity growth. This evidential background is essential for assessing the likelihood of the limited range of policy instruments available in the regional context proving effective in bringing about a sustained improvement in productivity.
Researcher
José Luis Iparraguirre D'Elia
Completed Work
Decomposition of regional GVA per capita gap by UK region
Cycles in Regional Labour Productivity in the UK
Labour Productivity, Gross Value Added and Employment by Industry in Northern Ireland. A Structural and Shift-Share Analysis
Productivity Gap in Northern Ireland
The Five Drivers of Productivity. How Much Does Each One Contribute? Causal Analysis of Regional Labour Productivity in the UK
Work in Progress
- Recent Productivity Performance in Northern Ireland
In 2005 ERINI commissioned Professor Richard Harris of the Centre for Public Policy and the Regions at Glasgow to undertake a research project on the case for a differential rate of Research and Development Tax Credit in Northern Ireland. R&D Tax Credits are one of the principal vehicles for stimulating innovation and if a case can be made for a higher rate in Northern Ireland that would be a major advance for policy in this area although HM Treasury would still have to be persuaded. This project was completed in January 2006.
Completed Work
Assessing the Case for a Higher Rate of R&D Tax Credit in Northern Ireland
