We rank economics departments in the Republic of Ireland according to the number of publications, number of citations, and successive h-index of research-active staff. We increase the discriminatory power of the h1-index by introducing three generalizations, each of which is a rational number. The first (h1 + ) measures the excess over the actual h-index, while the other two (h1*, h1 ) measures the distance to the next h-index. At the individual level, h* and h coincide while h + is undefined.

This paper analyses the extent and determinants of backward local linkages between multinational companies and domestic suppliers in the Irish electronics industry, and their effect on indirect employment generated in domestic supplier firms. Several models in recent literature show that linkages between firms can lead to positive effects on the development of indigenous industry, agglomerations, technology spill-overs and indirect employment generation. Our empirical analysis, using a uniquely generated firm-level panel data set, indicates that the extent of linkages is related in a non-linear fashion to the length of time that the firm is located in Ireland. In the context of the literature on the effects of linkages, we find empirical evidence consistent with the view that growth in employment in upstream supplier firms in electronics is linked to the development of downstream firms.Multinational Companies, Local Linkages, Indirect Employment,

No abstract

It is often argued that foreign firms may enhance the productivity of indigenous firms in an economy, through forward or backward linkages. Such externality effects typically are called "productivity spillovers". In terms of foreign direct investment (FDI), Ireland is one of the most globalized economies in the world, having pursued a strategy of promoting investment by foreign companies for over 40 years. This article examines possible productivity spillovers from foreign-owned firms to indigenous firms in the Irish manufacturing sector, using plant-level data on all manufacturing firms for the period 1991-1998. Despite Irish policy commitment to building linkages between foreign and domestic firms, we find only weak evidence of spillovers and this evidence is sensitive to the definition and measurement of foreign presence.Foreign Direct Investment, Irish Manufacturing, Productivity. JEL Classifications: F21, F23,