Open Journal Systems Trinity College Dublin
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Discouraged borrowers: Evidence for Eurozone SMEs.
No full textThis study examines the decision by firm owners not to apply for intermediated debt due to a perception that their application will be rejected for a sample of small firms in 9 European countries- these are “discouraged” borrowers. Compared with firms that applied for bank loans, discouraged borrowers are smaller, younger, have declining turnover and an increasing debt to assets ratio. Transmission of macro effects through the banking system and the economic environment also leads to higher levels of discouragement. Higher regulatory quality results in greater borrower discouragement, indicating the importance of regulation and enforcement mechanisms for the efficient functioning of private debt markets.
A Review of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in Tumourigenesis
Get PDFWith its unique tautomerase activity, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multi-functional pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous types of cancer. Through a variety of mechanisms MIF is tumourigenic, pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic. As a result of its central role in both cancer and inflammation many MIF inhibitors are currently in development, with recent studies yielding impressive results
Analysing Residential Energy Demand: An Error Correction Demand System Approach for Ireland
Get PDFThis paper analyses the Irish residential energy demand system by using variants of Deaton and Muellbauer’s Almost Ideal Demand System model. Annual data from 1970 to 2013 are employed to estimate a demand system for solid fuels, oil, gas and electricity with the models incorporating quadratic and demographic terms to estimate long-run price and expenditure elasticities. This is the first attempt in an Irish context to estimate an energy demand system for the residential sector. Error correction models were also estimated to recover short-run elasticities. Against the backdrop of onerous climate and energy efficiency policy targets, and given the residential sector’s substantial energy use, it is important to update energy demand elasticity estimates to better inform policy instrument design
Analysing the Drivers of Services Firm Performance: Evidence for Ireland
Get PDFWe examine drivers of firm performance using a holistic multivariate model which relates services firm growth to firm-characteristic, firm strategy and macroeconomic variables. Using data for 905 services firms in Ireland over the period 2001-2007, we employ System Generalised Method of Moments estimations and multiple firm performance measures to address the possible endogeneity and multidimensionality of firm-level performance. This paper provides empirical evidence on the factors determining services firm performance and the channels through which this occurs. Results confirm the importance of macroeconomic conditions for firm performance. We also find that small services firms in Ireland grew quicker during this period
Social Relationships and the Transition to Secondary Education
Get PDFInternational research has pointed to the social and academic adjustment required of young people moving to secondary education and the importance of social support in easing this transition. However, studies have rarely looked at the simultaneous impact of different social networks on this process and how these networks may mediate the influence of social background. This paper draws on Growing Up in Ireland data to look at the influence of parents, peers and teachers on two dimensions of the transition process, which capture social, socio-emotional and academic aspects of the adjustment: the ease of settling into secondary education, as measured by parents’ reports of transition difficulties among their children, and academic adjustment to secondary education, as reflected in changes in young people’s academic self-image. Parental support is found to play a crucial role in helping young people adjust to the new school setting but, contrary to much previous research, formal involvement in their children’s schooling, especially in helping with homework, plays a much less important role. Over and above supportive relations, parental cultural, economic and social resources are found to play a direct role in improving young people’s confidence as learners and in enhancing transition experiences. Peer networks typically grow larger over the transition to secondary education but those young people who were more socially isolated at primary level experience greater difficulties. In keeping with previous research, the quality of relations with teachers emerges as a key driver of academic and social adjustment to secondary education
Non-Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: The Influence of Maternal Employment and the Mediating Role of Childcare
Get PDFThis study uses data on Irish pre-school children to examine the influence of maternal employment in infancy on children’s non-cognitive skills. Propensity score matching addresses the issue of potential selection bias and mediation analysis is used to investigate possible mechanisms for the effect of maternal employment, in particular the role of childcare, parental stress, quality of parent-child attachment and income. Effects are identified for children from less advantaged backgrounds, with full-time maternal employment in infancy having a significant and detrimental effect on non-cognitive development at three years old. This effect is primarily mediated by childcare choices, particularly unpaid grandparental arrangements
Taxes, Income and Economic Mobility in Ireland: New Evidence from Tax Records Data
Get PDFThis paper analyses income inequality in Ireland using a new panel dataset based on the administrative tax records of the Revenue Commissioners for Ireland. High inequality of market incomes in Ireland by international standards appears to be driven by both ends of the income distribution. An analysis of income mobility over time shows it has been low at both ends of the income distribution, although it increased at the low end once the crisis began, reflecting the sharp deterioration of the labour market. The data confirms that the income tax system is highly progressive at the high end of income distribution and the welfare system provides the most significant support to lower income deciles in Ireland. The redistributive function in the tax and benefit system was enhanced during the last decade, not only because more income support was necessitated with the crisis, but also due to reforms which made the statutory tax rate more progressive