Productivity matters for everyone
In recent years one economic trend in particular has become increasingly important for policymakers across most western economies and that is productivity. It has become such a significant issue because while most other economic metrics eventually began to recover following the 2008 crash...
NERI Seminar Dublin: Productivity in Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland
Slides from NERI Seminar on 'Productivity in Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland', presented by Paul Goldrick-Kelly, Economist, NERI and Paul Mac Flynn, Senior Economist, NERI on 13th December, 2017. Above presentation by Paul Goldrick-Kelly (NERI) Above presentation by Paul Mac Flynn (NERI)
Monday Blog: O happy days?
Many (most?) listeners of an early morning news might be forgiven, last week, for wanting to climb under the blankets when they might have thought they heard: ‘house prices could rise by over 20% in the next three years in the Republic of Ireland - but don’t worry, housing remains and will remain...
Monday Blog: Will life be better or worse for this generation?
A simple question but a hard one to answer. First, how do we measure notions of ‘better’, ‘worse’, ‘good’ … ? Second, which countries, generations and points in time do we compare? Third, how do we know what the future will hold for anyone or most people? However, just because it is a hard question...
Interest Rates: Don't move too soon
Interest rates have been making the headlines in recent weeks, as speculation mounts about a possible change in policy this Thursday. In the UK the Bank of England base rate has been at an all-time low for almost 10 years. Monetary policy has been very loose since the Great Financial Crash of 2008...
Interest Rates: Don't move too soon
Interest rates have been making the headlines in recent weeks, as speculation mounts about a possible change in policy this Thursday. In the UK the Bank of England base rate has been at an all-time low for almost 10 years. Monetary policy has been very loose since the Great Financial Crash of 2008...
Monday Blog: Halloween, plastic-eating chicks and the circular economy
“By 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish, entangling sea creatures and trapping them, mimicking their food, and releasing toxins that poison them: marine turtles feed on plastic bags because they float in the ocean like jellyfish. Alabtrosses, those vast ocean-going birds, are...
NERI Seminar Dublin: Post Budget Seminar
Slides from NERI Post Budget Seminar held in the INTO Learning Centre on 18th October. The three speakers each made a brief presentation responding to aspects of Budget 2018. The presentations were delivered by Marie Sherlock (SIPTU), Michelle Murphy (Social Justice Ireland) and John FitzGerald...
Monday Blog: Ophelia, Kondratiev and Monday Mornings
Last Monday morning, I looked out the window and it was calm and sunny in the part of Ireland where I was. ‘What storm’? I mumbled. A few hours later made all the difference. Economists are very good at explaining what happened. Lots of econometrics and fitted regression lines work wonders. We are...
NERI Blog: What use is economics?
‘Economics’ is often viewed as a ‘positive science’ that examines choices in a world of constrained resources. One only has so much time or money or capital (including human). There are so many choices and needs. The ‘science’ of economics, it is claimed, involves optimising outcomes or well-being...