QUCEH Working Paper Series
Working papers by QUCEH Research Associates, Research Affiliates and Research Students are distributed from this page. They are also available through Econstor, a RePEc-compatible Open Access server which provides a platform for the free distribution of academic literature in economics. Please contact Chris Colvin (chris.colvin@qub.ac.uk) for more information about the series.
Full Archive of the QUCEH Working Paper Series:
Abstracts of Recent QUCEH Working Papers:
No. 18-08:
Alan de Bromhead, Alan Fernihough and Enda Hargaden
'Representation of the People: Franchise Extension and the 'Sinn Féin Election' in Ireland, 1918'
June 2018
Electoral reforms in 1918 nearly tripled the number of people eligible to vote in Ireland. Following the reforms – the largest franchise extensions in UK history – the previously obscure Sinn Féin party secured 73 of Ireland’s 105 seats, an outcome that presaged a guerrilla war and ultimately independence from the United Kingdom. This paper examines the relationship between the franchise extension and the election results. We find little evidence of a connection between the two. New female voters appear less likely to have supported Sinn Féin. New male voters were slightly more likely to vote for Sinn Féin, but the magnitude of this effect was small and statistically insignificant. In fact, non-voting appears particularly high for both groups of new voters. Our results suggest that the extension of the franchise cannot explain Sinn Féin's victory. We conclude their electoral success was more likely driven by a change of heart on behalf of the Irish electorate, rather than a change in its composition.
Alan de Bromhead, Alan Fernihough and Enda Hargaden
'Representation of the People: Franchise Extension and the 'Sinn Féin Election' in Ireland, 1918'
June 2018
Electoral reforms in 1918 nearly tripled the number of people eligible to vote in Ireland. Following the reforms – the largest franchise extensions in UK history – the previously obscure Sinn Féin party secured 73 of Ireland’s 105 seats, an outcome that presaged a guerrilla war and ultimately independence from the United Kingdom. This paper examines the relationship between the franchise extension and the election results. We find little evidence of a connection between the two. New female voters appear less likely to have supported Sinn Féin. New male voters were slightly more likely to vote for Sinn Féin, but the magnitude of this effect was small and statistically insignificant. In fact, non-voting appears particularly high for both groups of new voters. Our results suggest that the extension of the franchise cannot explain Sinn Féin's victory. We conclude their electoral success was more likely driven by a change of heart on behalf of the Irish electorate, rather than a change in its composition.
No. 18-07:
Seán Kenny and John D. Turner
'Wildcat Bankers or Political Failure? The Irish Financial Pantomime, 1797-1826'
June 2018
Using a new biography of banks, we examine the stability of Irish banking from 1797 to 1826 by constructing a failure rate series. We find that the ultimate cause of the frequent and severe banking crises was the crisis-prone structure of the banking system, which was designed to benefit the political elite. There is little evidence to suggest that wildcat banking or the failure of the Bank of Ireland to act as a lender of last resort were to blame. We also find that the main economic effect of the episodic crises was major diminutions in the money supply.
Seán Kenny and John D. Turner
'Wildcat Bankers or Political Failure? The Irish Financial Pantomime, 1797-1826'
June 2018
Using a new biography of banks, we examine the stability of Irish banking from 1797 to 1826 by constructing a failure rate series. We find that the ultimate cause of the frequent and severe banking crises was the crisis-prone structure of the banking system, which was designed to benefit the political elite. There is little evidence to suggest that wildcat banking or the failure of the Bank of Ireland to act as a lender of last resort were to blame. We also find that the main economic effect of the episodic crises was major diminutions in the money supply.
No. 18-06:
Stephen D. Billington and Alan J. Hanna
'That's Classified! Inventing a New Patent Taxonomy'
June 2018
We investigate how patent classification influences the interpretation of patent statistics. Innovation researchers currently make use of various patent classification schemas. Their classification methodologies are hard to replicate. Using machine learning techniques, we construct a transparent, replicable patent taxonomy, and a new automated methodology for classifying patents. We then contrast our new schema with existing ones using a long-run patent dataset. In a quantitative analysis of patent characteristics, we find strong evidence of classification bias; our interpretation of regression coefficients is schema-dependant. We suggest that much of the innovation literature needs to be re-examined in light of our findings.
Stephen D. Billington and Alan J. Hanna
'That's Classified! Inventing a New Patent Taxonomy'
June 2018
We investigate how patent classification influences the interpretation of patent statistics. Innovation researchers currently make use of various patent classification schemas. Their classification methodologies are hard to replicate. Using machine learning techniques, we construct a transparent, replicable patent taxonomy, and a new automated methodology for classifying patents. We then contrast our new schema with existing ones using a long-run patent dataset. In a quantitative analysis of patent characteristics, we find strong evidence of classification bias; our interpretation of regression coefficients is schema-dependant. We suggest that much of the innovation literature needs to be re-examined in light of our findings.