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...
The future of work in Northern Ireland: the key challenge of bad jobs
External event contribution Dr Lisa Wilson presentation slides from her contribution to conference looking at 'The Regional Dimensions of Industrial Strategy'. This conference was hosted by the Urban & Regional Economics Seminar Group, Open University, Belfast
Monday Blog: The Living Wage in the Republic of Ireland
I was recently talking with an economist from Austria about the Living Wage. He did not readily understand the term as, in many European countries, the notion of a living wage gives way to one or both things: (1) collective bargaining which sets wages pretty much for all workers in all sectors, and...
NERI Seminar Dublin: The Spirit level revisited: importance of relative income position for well-being
Slides from NERI Seminar on ‘The Spirit level revisited: importance of relative income position for well-being’ , presentation by Dr Lisa Wilson, Economist, NERI on 15th March, 2017.
Monday Blog: Labour Market research on the island of Ireland
The fifth all-Ireland inter-disciplinary annual Labour Market conference took place in NUI Maynooth on 12th May. The biggest such conference yet, it drew participation from trade unionists, researchers and policy analysts from across the island. An overview of the 32 presentations at the conference...
Monday Blog: Are ‘Public Private Partnerships’ the only way to boost capital spending on infrastructure?
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) were much in vogue across Europe for many years especially prior to the Great Recession of 2008-2012. The essential idea behind PPPs is that the State commissions a private company to undertake some or all of the following: part-fund, design, build, operate and...
Monday Blog: A bridge to a new deal
Last week, the NERI published its 21st edition of the NERI Quarterly Economic Observer . Since its first edition and foundation as a trade union associated Institute this day five years ago, the 27th March 2012, (QEO Spring 2012 ) we have continued to make the case for an enhanced programme of...
Monday Blog: Are women workers in the public sector paid too much?
Yes, you read that question correctly. I will seek an answer to this question at the end of this blog. But for now, judging by the standard reaction to data on earnings when published by the Central Statistics Office, many commentators are very set on the idea that public sector workers are paid far...
Monday Blog: Women draw the short straw on wages
Discussion of low pay ebbs and flows. As pointed out on this Blog over the last two years, macro trends in wages are not a major topic of conversation or public debate. Every so often, the Central Statistics Office publishes new data or updates previous data on earnings. If the matter merits any...
Presentation slides to Retired Workers Committee: The economic and social contribution of older people
External event contribution Dr Lisa Wilson, NERI - presentation for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Retired Workers Seminar North/South held in ICTU Belfast office on 23rd and 24th Feburary, 2017. The presentation was on 'The economic and social contribution of oder people'.