Inequality of pay between women and men is a well documented statistical fact. But, what is the relationship between this gender gap and low pay? How is early childhood care relevant? And what are the implications for public policy and trade unions? This Blog looks at these questions in the Republic...

Today's statement in the House of Commons marked George Osborne's eighth budget in just under six years as Chancellor. Whilst there were many eye-catching policies such as a tax on sugary drinks and reforms to ISAs, they could not distract from some major revisions to UK economic growth. The Office...

In an earlier blog I noted that the government's available fiscal space over the next five years, after accounting for demographic costs and the indexing of public spending for inflation, would be somewhere in the region of €2.5 billion to €4.5 billion. The Fiscal Council estimate €3.2 billion. The...

Social housing in Northern Ireland faces unique challenges over the coming years in terms of capacity, finance and delivery. Moreover there are questions over the structure of organisation who deliver social housing and how that could be amended to best suit future needs.This InBrief looks to...

Earlier this week a new report from the UK think-tank The Resolution Foundation estimated that UK household incomes had finally returned to their pre-crisis levels. However, the latest data on Irish income levels tell a different story. Using data from the CSO’s SILC survey, we can track median...

The reformed Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the creation of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) have enhanced supervision of Irish fiscal policy and reduced the range of feasible fiscal stances an Irish government can promise or take. This new reality was brought into sharp focus with the...

This month’s NERI seminar featured a new research paper which examined the likely revenue yield for the Republic of Ireland from the implementation of a financial transactions tax (FTT). In 2011 the European Commission outlined proposals for a Europe wide FTT. Since then the proposal has been...