The Border Economy

The border economy exists in a context where there has been historical underperformance across a range of indicators in comparison with the rest of the UK, and where regional disparities become more significant in relation to the economic growth of border counties compared with other parts of the Republic of Ireland.

This can in part be explained due to the peripheral nature of the border region, whether in geographical terms or in its presence within the policy scope of both jurisdictions, as well as to the legacy of the conflict.

Data from both the OECD and the European Commission underline the significant disparities in terms of GDP between the economy of the border region and the economies of the UK and Ireland, as well as other European economies.

However, efforts are being made to reverse the peripheral situation of the border economy.

InterTradeIreland, for example, has supported SMEs in the region to exploit their export potential
and to invest in innovation, and has noted that 27% of businesses involved with the organisation are
from the border area.

InterTradeIreland, however, has also stressed the fact that its remit is an all-island one, and it cannot focus specifically on the border region.

The Centre for Cross Border Studies and a number of partners that include the cross-border local authority networks, therefore, are working to bring a greater degree of focus to the economic development of the border corridor and to the improvement of its underlying infrastructure

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