Posts by Dr Nat O'Connor
Dr Nat O'Connor @natpolicy
Dr Nat O’Connor is Assistant Professor of Social Policy at UCD, a fellow of the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy and former Director of TASC. Nat also previously worked at Age Action, the Labour Party, Ulster University and the Homeless Agency. You can find him on LinkedIn (natoconnor) and TwitterX @natpolicy.
A Defence of Taxation, Revisited
Nat O'Connor 10/03/2026
In 2014, TASC published A Defence of Taxation. Its argument in favour of progressive alternatives to reducing public services through tax cuts remains as salient as ever, and it is an appropriate topic to revisit on the 25th anniversary of TASC. The context has changed, but Ireland’s tax system is still unstable and unsustainable, despite …
Economic Inequality and the Rise of Populism, Revisited
Nat O'Connor 16/02/2026
In 2017, I published a paper entitled Three Connections between Rising Economic Inequality and the Rise of Populism. This has been my most cited …
Employment Rates, not Age, is a Better Predictor of Future Economic Dependency
Nat O'Connor 19/08/2024
Across the richer countries of the world—and increasingly across low and middle income countries too—there is concern expressed about the …
Brexit and Market Regulation
Nat O'Connor 05/09/2017
Following the latest round of Brexit talks, spokespersons have taken to the airwaves to blame each other for the impasse. Despite this, both sides …
The Public Value of the Citizens Information Service
Nat O'Connor 14/07/2017
Professor Mark Moore of Harvard University developed the concept of 'public value creation 'more than 20 years ago, and there is a growing academic …
Living Wage 2017
Nat O'Connor 05/07/2017
The Living Wage is now €11.70 per hour, which means that is how much a single person would have to earn if he or she was working 39 hours/week in …
Should Ireland Stay in the EU?
Nat O'Connor 04/07/2017
Former Irish ambassador Ray Bassett has written a detailed report for the UK think-tank Policy Exchange entitled After Brexit, Will Ireland be Next …
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![Duggan, Vic]](/assets/img/2017/04/1491994913319631_sq.jpg)
Vic Duggan
Vic Duggan is an independent consultant, economist and public policy specialist catering …
Robert Sweeney
Robert Sweeney is a policy analyst at TASC and focuses on issues surrounding Irish …
Sean McCabe
Sean holds an B.Sc in Applied Physics from Dublin City University and an M.Sc. in …