Policy Briefs

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 »

In 2018, the Irish government published the National Planning Framework (NPF) as part of Project Ireland 2040. As the Irish economy emerged from a decade of economic recession, these planning documents were seen as timely. The vision set forth was “based on a set of values that will ensure Ireland’s long term economic, environmental and… | Read on »

Traditionally, local governments fund recurring expenditures from three broad sources, namely user fees and charges, local taxes and grants or transfers.  Although reform of local government funding is a never-ending process, since the 2008 financial crisis Ireland has witnessed an unusually large number of changes in the funding of Irish local councils. These are a… | Read on »

The potential benefits from foreign direct investment (FDI) are viewed as important, as technology transfers resulting from FDI can lead to higher productivity of domestic firms, thereby boosting a host country’s growth rate. Economists and policymakers in many developing economies thus believe firmly that FDI plays a key role in the economic convergence process; they… | Read on »

The incoming EU Whistleblowing Directive 2019 will require many organizations* to make significant changes to protect whistleblowers against retaliation, establish confidential whistleblower channels and clear reporting processes.  Organisations must implement arrangements now that enable employees to speak up about perceived wrongdoing. But how to go about this? This research examined key organizations in the finance,… | Read on »

Reducing domestic energy use and related carbon emissions is a priority for national and European policy. A transition toward sustainable household energy use will require radical shifts in patterns of production and consumption that can only be brought about through systemic change involving multiple actors across all levels of society. Key considerations include the development,… | Read on »

Environmental economists offer what is arguably the most internally consistent theory of sustainable development. A sustainable development path is one that maintains welfare opportunities for future generations. An economy’s “genuine savings” (GS) represent changes to the productive capacity of the economy and thus indicate the capacity for the generation of future well-being. GS goes “beyond… | Read on »

The senior generation’s resistance to alter the status quo of the existing management and ownership structure of their farm is undoubtedly strong within the farming community. This phenomenon has resulted in extraordinary socio-economic challenges for young people aspiring to embark on a career in farming. This study sets forth a series of recommendations aimed at allowing… | Read on »

Global evidence of disconnect from our natural surroundings is growing as the world’s ecosystems increasingly come under threat from human pressures, in partic-ular waterways, coasts and oceans. This in turn poses human health risks and results in the loss of potential health and wellbeing benefits associated with blue spaces i.e. outdoor water environments. Among policy,… | Read on »