Policy Briefs

Globally, direct and indirect human impacts have led to the widespread degradation of marine ecosystems. The resulting loss of habitat and marine biodiversity has led to increased impetus for marine ecosystem restoration at a policy level. Restoration success is judged on ecological outcomes but with limited resources, the magnitude of the societal benefits achieved is… | Read on »

The ‘new normal’ for policy making, in the face of Covid-19, climate change and the UN SDGs, is to broaden its focus beyond ad hoc, short term sectoral issues to address the systemic, non-linear feedbacks and dynamics that form, grow and evolve in local to global provisioning systems. Policymaking is increasingly an iterative process of complex,… | Read on »

Flood reduction infrastructure is a vital aspect of many urban and peri-urban areas.  To date, the majority of flood reduction projects use traditional “grey” materials and techniques. However, the use of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) such as, restoration of floodplains or wetlands and bioswales are becoming more popular. The move towards BGI is, in part, due… | Read on »

Fiscal equalisation is a key element of a country’s intergovernmental fiscal arrangements where functions and funding are decentralised to subnational government. Equalisation transfers are used to reduce horizontal fiscal imbalances between local authorities, so that fiscal equity can be achieved whereby citizens are not disadvantaged in their access to public services by their place or… | Read on »

Against the backdrop of population ageing, which has been identified as a major societal challenge for all Western nations, successive Irish Government reports have reflected on the difficulty of sustaining the costs of the public State pension. The need for pension reform in Ireland continues to give rise to much public debate. Recasting pensions however… | Read on »

For sustainable development to be meaningful, it must be achievable and measurable by some reasonably clear metric or metrics. Economists have long recognised that the System of National Accounting aggregates fail to properly measure human well-being. Complements and perhaps alternatives to indicators such as Gross National Income are required. However, the development of sustainability indicators… | Read on »

Ireland has set ambitious economic growth targets for the agri-food sector up to 2025 and beyond, with sustainability being an important consideration in the national development strategies (Food Wise 2025 and Harnessing our Ocean Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan). Although Ireland has achieved a prominent position in global agri-food trade as one of the… | Read on »

Principal investigators (PIs) are ‘scientists who orchestrate new research projects, combine resources and competencies, deepen existing scientific trajectories or shape new ones that are transformative in intent, nature, and outcome that can be exploited for commercial ends and or for societal common good.’  Taking on the PI role is a significant career milestone for scientists…. | Read on »

In Ireland, 1.9 million people (40% of the population) reside within 5km of the coast. Legally, the coastal zone in Ireland has no defined limits, yet is our most stressed environment due to rising anthropogenic pressures and evolving climate hazards. Sandy beaches and coastal dunes are experiencing chronic degradation and the diverse array of ‘natural’… | Read on »

The Irish Civil Service Renewal Plan sets out a vision for a high performing system with the capability to meet the challenges facing Ireland over the coming years.  In accordance with Action 10 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) implemented a senior executive leadership programme (ELP) aimed… | Read on »