Brooks, T; Ewuga, D; Scott, L and Spillane, J (2018) The impact of brexit on cross-border trade by the construction sector in Ireland: An exploratory study. In: Gorse, C and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 34th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2018, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
Cross-border and local co-operation can foster local learning and contribute positively to business performance and social cohesion. This paper considers construction firms' economic motivation for both types of co-operation around the Ireland – Northern Ireland border. This area, while inevitably impacted by the Brexit uncertainty, shares many of the economic and developmental characteristics of border areas throughout Europe. Overall, around a third of firms in Ireland and Northern Ireland engage in local co-operation of some form; around one in six in Northern Ireland and one in twelve in Ireland also engage in cross-border co- operation. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of Brexit on cross border trade by the Construction sector in Ireland and investigate the current tensions and barriers to that sector. A qualitative methodology adopted a literature review and semi structured interview strategy. Data was collected from purposively selected contractors in the North and South of Ireland who have recent experience of cross border construction. Qualitative analysis identified themes and issues arising which enabled examination of commonalities and differences between the respondents. Differing regulatory regimes, perceived barriers to cross-border co-operation and uncertainty reduce the incidence of cross-border co-operation rates below that of local co-operation. The findings provide an insight into the lack of Brexit preparedness of industry on both sides of the border. The study established that there is a need for more industry specific research regarding the level of existing cross border trade and the measures that could be adopted to resist fragmentation and integrate Irish cross border construction trade in the context of Brexit.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | brexit; fragmentation; co-operation; Ireland |
| Index terms: | qualitative analysis, business performance, social cohesion, methodology, Ireland, construction sector, Europe, interview, motivation, Northern Ireland, construction firm, exploratory study, strategy, literature review, fragmentation |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, business, research design and methodology, organization, data analysis and analytics, psychology, Geography, physical geography and landforms, management, performance measurement, research methods, industry analysis, sociology |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Human Resources, Quality Management, Business Strategy, Geographical Context, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here