Blockchain is a 32-Year-Old Gimmick

Rory O'Farrell 30/05/2023

Blockchain is old hat. In 1991 blockchain was first proposed by two scientists at Bell Labs, long enough for the technology to mature and stand on its own feet. However, €347 million of EU funding has been approved to promote blockchain, while this week Irish government agencies divert resources hoping this generation old technology will be the …

Fiscal Rules Update

Robert Sweeney 15/05/2023

Last month the EU Commission released a communication on the fiscal rules that would, if implemented, have major implications for Europe. It would …

Energy poverty, environmental degradation, lack of affordable housing and the rise of the far right

Shana Cohen 09/05/2023

This article was first published in The Irish Times on the 9th of May 2023. President Michael D Higgins’s speech at a recent …

On Economics

Robert Sweeney 08/05/2023

President Higgins’ comments on economics made a bit of a kerfuffle. He criticised, among other things, an obsession with economic growth, the …

What needs to be done to keep Irish beef farming alive and kicking

Molly Breen 11/04/2023

IntroductionAs a young student born and reared in County Dublin, I am no expert on the ins and outs of beef farming. Yet, I have always appreciated …

The principle of fair reciprocity can inform taxation in an ecosocial future

Mary Murphy 03/04/2023

This blog was first drafted as the authors speaking notes for a forum ‘The Fiscal Social Contract: How Taxation can be Applied as a Tool for Social …

Is an EU-Wide approach to the mental health crisis necessary?

Gerry Mitchell 29/03/2023

Mental health services are characterised by under-investment, a focus on hospital treatments and a lack of primary and community services; workforce …

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