The chicken and the egg – which comes first? - Reforming or funding our healthcare system?
The publication, in the Republic of Ireland, of the Sláintecare Report over year ago was a landmark achievement. For the first time it appeared that almost all political parties were united in a commitment to a single-tier, comprehensive and a well-funded system of healthcare with the commitment of...
Cost Rental made simple
‘Cost-rental’ is a term that has come into popular use in the last year or two. While most people declared themselves supportive of the idea, it is not always obvious that people mean the same thing when using this term. Let me explain briefly and concisely what it means. ‘Cost-rental’ is a social...
NERI Seminar Dublin: Ireland's Private Pension System: the gender dimension
Slides from NERI Seminar: 'Ireland's Private Pension System: the gender dimension' presented by Dr Micheál Collins, Assistant Professor of Social Policy at School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, UCD on 2nd May, 2018. Presentation gender pensions neri seminar m collins ucd 2 may 18...
To solve the housing crisis, we need to fix our broken land economy
A guest article by Laurie Macfarlane. The UK, along with many other advanced economies, is facing a major housing affordability crisis. Average house prices are now on average nearly eight times that of incomes across England and Wales, and up to 39 times in parts of central London. A whole...
NERI Seminar Dublin: Housing shock in Ireland - new inequalities, financialisation, and the right to a home
Slides from NERI Seminar on 'Housing shock in Ireland - new inequalities, financialisation, and the right to a home' presented by Dr Rory Hearne, Post Doctoral Researcher, Social Science Institute, NUI Maynooth on 11th April, 2018. Presentation at NERI Seminar by Dr Rory Hearne, NUI Maynooth from...
Time to start changing the game
The story goes that there was a slightly inebriated person found under the light of street lamp searching for something. When asked by a police officer about what was happening, the person replied ‘I’m looking for my house keys’. They both searched together but found nothing. When the police officer...
NERI Seminar Belfast: Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing
Presentation slides by Laurie Macfarlane at the NERI Belfast Seminar on 22nd March, 2018 titled "Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing"
Northern Ireland's Public Finances - Revenue Matters
When the £1 billion supply and confidence deal was signed between the Conservatives and the DUP last summer, many across the water began to take a more in depth look at the public finances in Northern Ireland. When they examined official statistics, many were horrified to learn that a region to...
Some evidence about health expenditure in the Republic of Ireland
Never let the data get in the way of a good story. In their landmark book, How Ireland cares: The case for health reform , published in 2006, Dale Tussing and Maeve-Ann Wren recount some wild claims by a Minister for Health regarding the extent to which Ireland was spending far in excess of other...
The housing crisis: rising costs, falling living standards
The national median disposable, net or after tax wage has increased by just under 8% since 2012 (now at €2,087 p.m. approx.) whilst the take home pay of a full-time minimum wage worker has increased by about 10% (now at €1,490). The most recent reports by daft.ie show an almost 60% rise in average...