[The following is an extract from a speech given recently at the Annual Delegate Conference of the Public Service Executive Union - PSEU] It is urgent that evidence is brought to bear on important political and social debates. It is also important that those issues and questions that are neglected...

The latest NERI seminar took place on Wednesday 22 April 2015. Dr Reamonn Lydon, Central Bank of Ireland, presented research based on a novel dataset on households’ income, assets and debts in Ireland: the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS). The HFCS is an invaluable resource for policy...

A key issue in the run-up to the UK General Election has been changes in living standards. While economics is not everything in the universe, the level and change in living standards is a very important factor in shaping the climate of public opinion. Not just the level and change in living...

Yesterday's seminar given by the Director of the NERI, Tom Healy, focused on setting the parameters for a clear, long-term vision for the Irish economy to emerge. The seminar is based on a recent working paper that argues this vision must be based on concrete goals that can be observed, measured and...

[Text of address to be given at Irish National Teachers Organisation Annual Conference in Ennis, Co Clare, on 6 April 2015] Easter week marks the time when many education related organisations hold their annual gathering. It is an occasion of discussion, meetings, announcements, statements...

Recovery has begun. However, the economic collapse and years of aggressive reductions in government spending mean the recovery is starting from a position where key public services are stretched, state-sponsored family supports diminished, core welfare rates cut for those under 26, and a lack of...

There is widespread official support for the Transatlantic Trade, Investment Partnership (TTIP) across European member states – especially in the Republic of Ireland where the level of enthusiasm and zeal for promoting TTIP exceeds that of other member states. TTIP is seen as a saving grace to pull...

Some years ago, during the Roaring Celtic Tiger period, I had occasion to attend a conference which treated the idea and measurement of Human Well-Being. Speaking to a former Taoiseach who had just joined the proceedings, I informed him that the participants were not entirely sure if life was...