Monday Blog: A Budget for the many and not just the few
Much progress has been made in regards to the state of Irish public finances, due in large part, to the recovery in economic activity in recent times. Taxes are flowing under many headings as unemployment continues to inch downwards and there is a broad-based recovery. Yet, many people are scarcely...
Monday Blog: Notes on the margins of the Dublin Economics Workshop
Last weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the Dublin Economics Workshop. The annual event – usually held in the Autumn – is a significant one as it attracts a considerable number of professional economists: academic, sectoral, financial, civil service and freelance. The event is, also, open to...
Monday Blog: As the housing emergency worsens it is still time for a game changer
Six months ago the NERI published a working paper entitled: Ireland’s Housing Emergency: Time for a game changer . Regrettably, but not surprisingly, the depth and scale of the housing emergency has increased over the summer months. While much publicity has focussed on homelessness (as measured by...
The Absence of Devolution - The Economic Costs
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...
The Absence of Devolution - The Economic Costs
As the deadline of the 29th of June passed without the establishment of a new Executive, it looks as though Northern Ireland may be in for a long period with no devolved government. Quite how long this interregnum will last is in the realm of political speculation, but it does have important...
Monday Blog: Reclaiming the debate on enterprise
The key to a flourishing society is an economy that works for all people and not just the few. And the key to an economy that works for all is democracy in the workplace and in the political institutions that govern the market. [This is the text of a speech I gave at the 2017 Biennial Delegate...
Monday Blog: Getting our priorities right
Remarks at the recent National Economic Dialogue held in Dublin (28-29 June) "On behalf of the Nevin Economic Research Institut, I would like to welcome this opportunity to debate the choices and priorities for Ireland as we, hopefully, head towards a period of economic and social recovery and...
Monday Blog: Keeping the vultures at bay
The loss of a home and homelessness must be among the most stressful events in a person’s life. The stories of evictions from cottages and land in the 19 th century still evoke feelings of intense shock and outrage. How could this have happened in a colony of a ‘civilised empire’? Vast improvement...
Monday Blog: Housing for homes - a classic case of market failure
‘What is the concept of market failure and give an example’ was once asked in a school examination of economics. Here is a tip if you are studying economics, yourself: take housing in Ireland as an example. It ticks lots of boxes: A chronic under-supply of housing at current cost, credit, demand and...
Intergenerational Inequality in Ireland
A Eurobarometer poll of 16-30 year olds in 2016 found that 68% of Irish respondents felt excluded from economic and social life by the crisis compared to 57% in the EU as a whole and 27% in Germany. Although in some corners these concerns are likely to be dismissed as the whining of a spoilt...