Public expenditure in the regional economy of Northern Ireland: has the growth of the 1970s been sustained?

Abstract

In terms of the overall objective of the paper, the primary focus for analysis relates to the way in which the growth of public expenditure in Northern Ireland has changed since the 1970s. Simpson (1980) documented this period and highlighted that public expenditure grew at a dramatic rate, due to a combination of factors: expanding the level of public services; counteracting local economic problems, particularly job losses within the manufacturing sector and addressing the problems of the so-called ‘troubles’. However, what of the 1980s and 1990s? Has this period marked a change in the pattern of public expenditure growth in Northern Ireland? Has there been a return to a level of public expenditure more in keeping with the rest of the UK? It is to these issues that this paper seeks to address. - [Introduction p.2]