Gerda Dewit

Gerda Dewit serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Economics within the Faculty of Social Sciences at Maynooth University. She joined Maynooth University in 2000 after previously working as a lecturer in Economics at the University of Glasgow from 1996 to 2000. Since 2010, she has maintained an affiliation with the Leuven Centre for Irish Studies at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) as a Senior Researcher.

Dr. Dewit earned her PhD in Economics in 1996 from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), establishing the foundation for her academic career focused on international economic relations and strategic corporate behavior.

Her research program centers on International Trade and Industrial Organisation, with particular emphasis on how firms make strategic location decisions within contexts of economic integration and globalization. She investigates the complex interplay between government policies (particularly regarding tax competition and labor standards) and multinational corporate behavior, examining how regulatory environments influence foreign direct investment patterns and firm relocation decisions. Her work often employs game-theoretic models to analyze strategic interactions between firms and governments in international settings, with recent research addressing pandemic-era export policy cooperation.

Analysis of her publication record reveals a consistent research trajectory examining strategic behavior in international economic contexts, particularly focusing on how firms respond to regulatory environments across borders. Her work spans theoretical modeling and empirical analysis, with significant contributions to understanding tax competition dynamics, employment protection effects on firm location, and optimal policy design for attracting R&D-intensive investment. The progression of her research shows increasing attention to real-world policy challenges while maintaining rigorous theoretical foundations.

Dr. Dewit has established a productive research partnership with colleague David Leahy, with whom she has co-authored numerous publications across multiple journals including Economica, Journal of Public Economic Theory, and Review of International Economics. Her work appears primarily in top-tier economics journals specializing in international trade, industrial organization, and public economics.

As a Senior Researcher at the Leuven Centre for Irish Studies since 2010, Dr. Dewit contributes to interdisciplinary research examining Ireland's economic position within European and global contexts. Her affiliation bridges her expertise in international economics with specific applications to Irish economic policy and European integration issues.