Our research interprets patterns of economic, business and social life in a manner that fosters new theories and ideas; engages in empirical research grounded in current practices; and develops suggestions for public policy as well as for institutional and organizational innovations. The core purpose is to deepen understanding of how markets, business organizations and social institutions evolve over time.

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QUEEN’S RESEARCH SUGGESTS THE SICILIAN MAFIA AROSE TO POWER FROM LEMON SALES
Researchers from Queen’s, in collaboration with the University of Manchester and the University of Gothenburg, have uncovered new evidence to suggest that the Sicilian mafia arose to notoriety in response to the public demand for citrus fruits.
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Back to the failure of DeLorean
Graham Brownlow
Introduction: John De Lorean, his company, and the failure of his iconic gull-winged car is often presented as a story of greed and irrationality, involving either his flawed psychology or failed government industrial policy.
Introduction: John De Lorean, his company, and the failure of his iconic gull-winged car is often presented as a story of greed and irrationality, involving either his flawed psychology or failed government industrial policy.
Research: Graham’s motivation was a reaction to the incoherence of some existing literature and a desire to use simple economic concepts as part of a reinterpretation. Graham draws on newlyreleased official documents and government reports, integrated with contemporary media, data analysis and applied economics, as well as interviews with former De Lorean employees and policymakers from the period 1978-82.
Outcome: He found that the institutional environment was to blame for the company’s rise and fall. Because Northern Ireland inward investment had dried up, government money was made available to stabilise the economy in the belief that this would reduce unemployment and civil unrest. Consequently, official monitoring was weaker and the subsidy package more generous than elsewhere. It is plausible to argue that De Lorean calculated rationally that the more workers he hired, the more generous his subsidy package would be and the more politically difficult for the authorities to close the project. But he eventually overplayed his hand. Correcting the mythology surrounding De Lorean illustrates that the rise and fall of businesses must be better understood in order to learn policy lessons and nurture economic progress. The De Lorean story is a cautionary tale for industrial policy in a world of imperfect institutions