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Economic Issues A

Module Code: ECU22041

Module Title: Economic Issues A

  • ECTS Weighting: 5
  • Semester/Term Taught: Semester 1
  • Contact Hours: 20-22 academic hours of lectures and approximately 4 academic hours of tutorials, i.e. 4 classes/tutorial for each student.
  • Module Personnel: Lecturer – Professor Ronan Lyons (ronan.lyons@tcd.ie), TA – tbc.

Module Learning Aims

This module aims:

  • To provide a framework to think about the historical Irish economy as a system, in aggregate supply and demand terms;
  • To examine how various forces and policies shaped the development of the Irish economy between the sixteenth century and partition/independence; and
  • To give an overview of the insights for policymakers today from Ireland’s economic performance over the long run.

Module Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

  • Identify the principal metrics available for measuring Irish economic development historically and the primary tools available to policymakers;
  • Highlight the main developments in Irish economic history between the sixteenth century and partition/independence
  • Assess the relative importance of domestic policies and external forces in shaping economic outcomes;
  • Outline the lessons to be learned by policymakers from Irish economic development over the long run.

Module Content

This module focuses on the Irish economic development during two long phases in the island’s history: the Kingdom of Ireland (1542-1800) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland (1801-1921). It explores the broad contours of that development, in particular how various external pressures and policy choices shaped economic development over time. The module uses an Aggregate Demand/Aggregate Supply framework to conceptualise various inputs, processes and outputs of the economic system, including transport systems (including canals and rail), finance (banking and stock markets), the role of government (such as in taxation and spending) and international trade. The module is likely to include the following topics (as time permits):

The module will cover the following main topics:

  1. The Economy as a System
  2. The Pre-modern Irish Economy
  3. The Development of an Economy
  4. Government & Economy in the early 18th century
  5. Trade & Development in the late 18th century
  6. Pre-Famine Ireland
  7. The Economics of the Great Famine
  8. Post-Famine Convergence
  9. Ireland & Industrialisation
  10. Taking Stock

Recommended Reading List

The module is based around a flipped classroom set-up. This means that, each week, there are certain pre-recorded videos that are the principal material to be reviewed ahead of live sessions, which are based around class discussions rather than prepared lectures. In addition to these pre-recorded materials, the following texts are used and useful for different parts of the course:

  • Louis Cullen, An economic history of Ireland since 1660 (Batsford, 1972).
  • Cormac Ó Gráda, Ireland: A New Economic History, 1780-1939 (Clarendon, 1995).
  • The Cambridge History of Ireland (2018): specific chapters, including Volume 2, Part V; and Volume 3, Part II.

Other references will be provided, as relevant, for particular topics. The CORE Econ textbook, Economy, Society and Public Policy (https://www.core-econ.org/espp/book/text/0-3-contents.html), will help students ‘The economy as a system’ (the material at the very start of the module), while specific chapters in Economy of Ireland are relevant for particular topics, as flagged in module materials.

Module Pre-Requisite

No module is a formal prerequisite for this module. However, it is expected that, where students have not completed an Introduction to Economics module previously (such as modules ECU11011/ECU11012, in Trinity), then they are prepared to read the appropriate introductory level material, such as the CORE Econ material mentioned above.

Assessment Details

Precise details in relation to assessment, including timing, will be provided to students at the start of the module. The broad allocation of assessment marks will be as follows: 

  • 40 per cent for two online multiple-choice tests during the module;
  • 30 per cent for a written group project, to be submitted during Reading Week;
  • 30 per cent for a group presentation (slide deck and recorded video), to be submitted by the end of the semester.

Module Website

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