News

The global population is urbanising rapidly. Each year, cities around the world host tens of millions of new inhabitants, particularly in low and middle income countries. While traditionally urbanisation has been associated with a process of structural change and economic development, today many poor countries are urbanising faster and at a much earlier stage of… | Read on »

Whitaker Institute member Dr Gerard Turley, of the Performance Management cluster, has written a new article for RTÉ Brainstorm. The piece looks at why the government’s vacant home tax is a missed opportunity. Why the Government’s vacant homes tax is a missed opportunity A number of housing measures were introduced this week in Budget 2023 aimed at… | Read on »

Whitaker Institute member Stephen McNena, of the Performance Management Cluster, has written a new article for RTÉ Brainstorm ahead of Budget 2023. The piece looks why new interest rates should be introduced. Why Paschal Donohoe should introduce new income tax rates Analysis: the Irish tax system is highly progressive and low earners pay zero or… | Read on »

Whitaker Institute member Dr Aidan Kane, of the Macroeconomics and Finance cluster, has written a new article for RTÉ Brainstorm. The piece looks at Irish budgets historically. A history of Irish budgets Opinion: our fiscal history tells us much about our past and the business of government over many centuries. Budgets are mainly about the… | Read on »

Whitaker Institute member Dr Deirdre Curran, of the Work, Organizations and Society cluster, has written a new piece for RTÉ Brainstorm. The article looks at the ‘sinister’ problem of workplace bullying. How bullying has become a ‘sinister’ workplace problem Opinion: reports, studies and research show the evidence of bullying at work to be truly shocking… | Read on »

Whitaker Institute member Stephen McNena, of the Performance Management cluster, has written a new article for RTÉ Brainstorm. The piece analyses the effectiveness of wealth tax. Is a wealth tax a good idea? Opinion: wealth inequality has been rising in recent decades, but questions surround the effectiveness of a pure wealth tax to address this… | Read on »

Economic historians have examined economic development in terms of output growth for decades. However, only limited research has examined economic history through the lens of sustainable development. After a century of Irish independence, our study, published in the European Review of Economic History, compares a sustainability perspective of Ireland’s economic development with the conventional growth-oriented… | Read on »

Local governments around the world are generally funded by a combination of own-source revenues and grants/transfers from upper tier levels of government. Ireland is no different, with its local authorities funded by a mix of local taxes, fees and charges, and central government grants. The only local tax is property tax. All revenues from the… | Read on »

The urgent need to take action on climate change has motivated an increasing number of countries to set ambitious renewable energy targets. Yet meeting these goals is challenging even for countries with high potential renewable energy endowments in part due to the intermittent nature of power generation from renewable sources. Although statutory agencies and industry… | Read on »

Whitaker Institute member Professor Emer Mulligan, of the Performance Management Cluster, is the lead author on a new report published by the European Parliament, which was commissioned by its Economic and Monetary Affairs’ Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC). The report provides an overview of the regulatory environment of tax intermediaries and a comparative analysis of five… | Read on »

Whitaker Institute members Dr Shane Conway and Dr Maura Farrell are working on setting up ‘Farmers’ Yards’. With over one-third of Irish farmers now aged over 65, the new project is working to establish a dedicated social organisation for older farmers. More from the Irish Examiner.