Commentary

Independent economic analysis and advice

Ireland's Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme

Ireland’s Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme

Ireland’s Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme has proven to be an effective and efficient mechanism and is due for renewal. Draft proposals for its revisions have given rise to concerns.

Review of Harnessing our Ocean Wealth

Harnessing our Ocean Wealth, published in 2012, sets out a plan to assist Ireland in realising the enormous economic and social potential of its marine environment. What is this plan, how is the sector performing and where to from here?

great lighthouses of Ireland

Economic Impact of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland

The Great Lighthouses of Ireland initiative, developed by Irish Lights and tourism agencies to promote the re-use of lighthouses as tourism attractions is having a notable economic impact on the lighthouses and surrounding areas.

Dublin's Housing Affordability Gap

Dublin’s Housing Affordability Gap

Housing supply continues to lag demand. Much of the problem is a result of a gap between the cost of construction and what purchasers can afford.

Compensation for Electricity Transmission Lines

The levels of compensation paid for electricity transmission infrastructure has long been a contentious issues that slows planning and construction. How does Ireland compare with other countries?

Dublin's Housing Needs

Estimating Dublin’s Housing Needs

Housing demand is actually a relatively straightforward variable to estimate over the medium to long term. But there are concerning differences between estimates in official publications and those from other sources.

health impacts of EMFs

Health Impacts of EMFs and Electricity Transmission Lines

Do overhead electricity transmission lines affect health? There have been a lot of claims made, but what does impartial, informed research actually conclude?

talent attractiveness

A Talent Attractiveness Assessment of Ireland

Ireland has experienced instances of skill shortages. How well does the country perform in terms of its ability to attract and retain talent? We assessed the evidence.

pay by weight

The Failure to Introduce Pay by Weight Charging for Waste

The introduction of Pay by Weight for waste collection should have been a relatively straightforward issue, but the outcome was very different. Why?

cost benefit analysis

Economic Analysis of the CIS and MABS Reorganisation

We undertook a cost benefit analysis and economic impact analysis of the proposed reorganisation of Citizens Information and MABS. This is what we found.

media accuracy

Media Accuracy and Economics

I know: the media do their best to make economic stories accessible to mainstream readers. But sometimes this comes up short. This is important.

We Don’t See It, but the Inflation is There

If you don’t control the money supply then inflation will rise.  But why have the past few years been so different? Where is all the inflation? It’s in the system, we just haven’t seen it yet and it may be some time before we do.

Thinking Big and Small

Ireland’s economy made a strong recovery in the years following the bailout. But a ‘crisis’ mindset continued to permeate much of the commentary and policy making. A change in economic thinking was needed to sustain the recovery? But, where are the new ideas?

Irish housing market

Common Sense and the Housing Market

As soon as prices in Ireland’s housing market started to recover, populist talk turned to housing bubbles. But the facts tell a different story. And missing that story means we prolong the problems.

wave power

The Wave Power Opportunity for Ireland

Ireland has enormous marine resources, not least in marine energy. This has been known for decades. But we have been so slow bringing this to potential to fruition.