ABSTRACT
It is frequently the case that discussion of economic issues within the island of Ireland deals separately with Northern Ireland (as part of the United Kingdom) and the Republic of Ireland (as an independent state). Important differences between the economies of each territory do exist comprising, for example, the financing of shortfalls between public expenditure and revenue, the tax system and the exchange rate (Bradley 1990). Nevertheless, recent years have witnessed significant and common adjustments for most sectors of these economies prompted by factors operating at a variety of scales. The phenomenon of economic restructuring per se is well documented (see, for example, Allen and Massey 1988, Albrechts and Swyngedouw 1989, Martin 1989, Stöhr 1990). It remains the agreed case that outcomes associated with the reorganisation of capital and production are expressed spatially at regional and local levels.
