NERI Seminar: Outsourcing in the Public Sector
Outsourcing in the public sector was the topic of the first NERI seminar of the new year. Public sector outsourcing is the process of contracting out a service or a function to another body, such as street cleaning or internal IT services. While outsourcing is frequently understood to mean...
NERI Seminar: Outsourcing in the Public Sector
The presentation examines the evidence on outsourcing through the framework of Value for Money (VFM). This approach allows for the consideration and analysis of evidence through focusing on three main criteria, economy, efficiency and effectiveness. It highlights the complexity of decision-making on...
Working and living below the poverty line: ‘The Working Poor’
2015 looks set to be a year when those at the bottom of the earnings distribution receive increased attention. Government will shortly establish a low pay commission which will (among other things) review the minimum wage. Later this month the CSO will provide new data on incomes and earnings (SILC)...
Monday Blog: Some research highlights from 2014
The year draws to a close and a new year begins. The Nevin Economic Research Institute was established in 2012 with the support of 24 trade unions in Ireland. Since its establishment the Institute has published a large number of research working papers and other material which can be viewed on this...
Monday Blog: Ageing well
Economics may be viewed as a dismal science but what do you make of the following biblical passage: ‘Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away’ (Psalm 90:10). Economists might sense...
NERI Seminar: Spatial Justice and Lessons from the Crisis
The latest NERI seminar, Some Lessons from the Crisis: Spatial Justice, Uneven Development and Future Choices, was held yesterday in the INTO Learning Centre. Gerry Kearns (professor of geography, Maynooth University) and David Meredith (senior research officer, Teagasc) outlined a concern that, as...
Income: The Gender Divide
There are many measures examining differences in various socio-economic characteristics among men and women. In general, women are better educated, healthier, live longer but earn less – factors which in themselves point towards gaps in societal equality for both sexes. Focusing just on income, it...
Trends in Average Incomes since 2006
Income levels, whether for individuals or households, are far from perfect measures of progress and well-being. However, they offer one insight into the experience of recent years for households across the Republic. In particular, trends in disposable income (income after taxes and welfare payments)...
Under employment in the Republic of Ireland
People classified as part-time underemployed are those who wish to work full-time, but cannot find a full-time job. Underemployment statistics touch on both the quality and quantity of work available to a sizable cohort in the labour market. In a sense, underemployment refers to a situation where an...
Income Taxation and Budget 2015
Judged from an income taxation perspective, Budget 2015 was reminiscent of Budgets of ten years ago, or more - maybe a worrying starting point! Cuts to income taxes dominated the announcements, and policy implementation within the Budget. This was at the cost of other priorities, including securing...