Measuring the Regions in Ireland: An Input-Output Approach

The lack of regional official statistics in general and regional Input-Output Tables in particular for Ireland has been long noted and lamented. This paucity of regional data has retarded the capacity to construct sound regional economic models or formulate and asses evidence-informed policies at sub-national level. This book argues that this long standing gap can be addressed. Using a variety of data sources already available, the first set of fully integrated, symmetric, Supply & Use and domestic Input-Output Tables for the NUTS 2 regions of Ireland are compiled. These tables are general purpose in nature and are fully consistent with the official national Input-Output Tables and regional accounts. These tables are used to present a descriptive statistical analysis of the administrative NUTS 2 regions in Ireland, drawing particular attention to the underlying structural differences in regional trade balances and composition of Gross Value Added in those regions.