Public Policy Series



Economic Analysis of Ireland's Comparative Advantages for Foreign Investment



Note on Authors



Alan W. Gray is Chairman of London Economics and is Managing Partner of the Indecon International Consultancy Group. He previously worked as Chief Economic Consultant for Europe with PriceWaterhouse's Pan European consultancy practice. Alan holds primary and post-graduate degrees in economics from Trinity College. He has published extensively on economic policy issues and edited the book on International Perspectives on the Irish Economy, which includes contributions from some of the world's leading economists including Kenneth Arrow, one of the first US Nobel Prize winners, and Paul Krugman who recently won the Nobel Prize for Economics. He has written or edited eight books on economics and has directed major policy studies and other assignments in the UK, Europe and North America. Alan was a member of the National Competitiveness Council and a member of the Task Force on Jobs in Services. In addition to his policy and research work, Alan has advised leading commercial companies internationally. He was a member of the board of directors of Canada Life and has served on the boards of other leading companies. He is currently a Director of Tedcastle Holdings and a Director of Origin Enterprises Plc.



Greg Swinand is a Divisional Director with Indecon Economic Consultants. Greg is a US economist and is a graduate of Boston College where he completed his PhD, in economics, and of the University of Massachusetts, where he completed his MSc and BA in economics. Prior to joining Indecon's European team, he was employed as a consultant with London Economics in LE's Cambridge offices in Boston. Dr. Swinand's awards include the GSAS Dissertation Fellowship and Michael Mann Dissertation Fellowship at Boston College, and he is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Epsilon Honour Societies and the Royal Economic Society. In his earlier career, he was a visiting professor at Babson College in the United States. Greg has over 15 years' experience as a consultant and has extensive experience in advising governments and private sector companies. Greg has advised companies in the United States, Singapore, Germany, France and the UK. He has published extensively on economics.



William H. Batt is a Divisional Director with Indecon's Strategy and Policy practice. William holds a first class honours degree in economics from University College Dublin and completed his postgraduate studies in economics at the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining Indecon, William worked as international economist with Oxford Economics, where he provided advice to leading multinational firms and government's across the EU and internationally. He previously worked as an economist with Cambridge Econometrics and with J. and E. Davy Stockbrokers. William has extensive experience in advising multinationals and government clients, both in Ireland and overseas. He has advised the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation on the economic impact of Science Foundation Ireland and recently led the study on the economic impact of foreign direct investment for IDA Ireland. He also worked on the recent study of the economic impact of foreign direct investment for the European Commission.



International Perspectives on the Irish Economy



is a collection of essays on the recent and unprecedented economic growth in Ireland by a panel of world renowned economists.



Ireland's economy has recently been described as the Celtic Tiger, but International Perspectives goes beyond the hype and takes a more sober look at the Irish Economy at the end of the millennium, and identifies the sources of its success and the challenges for the Irish economy in the future. The sources of success, such as the importance of labour force skills and education are examined along with the challenges for the future, such as competition and regulatory policy reform.



Proceeds from the sale of books in the Indecon Public Policy Series are donated to Focus Ireland, a leading charity for the homeless in Ireland.



The Economic Consequences of Peace in Ireland



by Alan Gray, published as part of the Indecon Public Policy Series, takes a prescient view at how continuing down the road to peace would pay economic dividends to Northern Ireland. A central theme in the book is that Northern Ireland's economy would need to restructure significantly, reducing public expenditures' share of national output, if it is to reap the rewards of peace.



The Economic Consequences of Peace then takes a more focused and detailed look at two sectors that might benefit most from peace: tourism and foreign investment. The study aims at assisting in developing an informed analysis of the international tourism and investment sectors in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.



Responses to Irish Unemployment



Responses to Irish Unemployment published as part of the Indecon Public Policy Series comprises a collection of specially commissioned essays which address some of the economic policy changes required to increase employment in Ireland. Ireland was at the time high levels of unemployment which were causing much social upheaval. This was in sharp contrast to the rather healthy economic conditions enjoyed in Ireland subsequently.



The contributing authors are Alan Gray (Indecon), Kieran Kennedy (ESRI), Dermot McAleese (Trinity College, Dublin), and Brendan Walsh (University College, Dublin). Each author was free to identify the specific areas of policy that were felt to be of greatest importance in addressing the issue of unemployment in Ireland.



While a wide range of policy areas are dealt with in the book, a number of common themes emerge. These include the priority of maintaining favourable macroeconomic structure, the tax treatment of investments in productive enterprises, and the reform of industrial and labour market policies.



Proceeds from the sale of books in the Indecon Public Policy Series are donated to leading charities.