Category: Environment

An Irish Entrepreneurial State’s Success

Paul Sweeney 25/04/2018

In a recent blog, we saw how economist Mariana Mazzucato demonstrated that it was not the hugely profitable and tax-avoiding tech firms which were the key innovators of some key technologies. The innovation sprung from investment in the US and European publicsectors, such as DARPA and CERN. It was the tech firms which took the public …

GDP and its alternatives

Robert Sweeney 04/04/2018

Perhaps no other single number or indicator receives as much attention as the total output of an economy. The standard measure for this is gross …

The Massive Impact of Driverless Cars, Blog 1.

Paul Sweeney 20/10/2016

Paul Sweeney: A few weeks ago, Uber introduced the first driverless cars on the road: a self-driving taxi fleet in Pittsburgh. Uber, partnered with …

Budget 2012: carbon tax, motor tax and motivations

Aoife Ní Lochlainn 02/12/2011

Aoife Ní Lochlainn: As we get closer to the budget day (or budget days), the shape of Government plans is becoming clearer. We know, both from leaks …

The need for climate change legislation, or, the best laid plans . . . need a big stick

Aoife Ní Lochlainn 11/11/2011

Aoife Ní Lochlainn: Minister Phil Hogan has responded to claims that he “has no intention of introducing legislation to set out Ireland’s stall …

Car Scrappage Scheme: A Nice Little Stimulus...for Germany and Japan

Tom McDonnell 29/06/2011

Tom McDonnell: The much maligned car scrappage scheme comes to an end tomorrow. Unsurprisingly the car 'industry' proclaims it a success. The scheme …

Uno duce, una voce

Nat O'Connor 05/02/2010

Nat O'Connor: I cannot allow two recent stories in the papers to go by without comment. Today's Irish Independent reports (in a story about Enda …