The Daniel O'Donnell Income Effect

Paul Sweeney: They say if Daniel O’Donnell left Donegal, the average income in the county would fall. It is still low even with Daniel living there. Average disposable income in Donegal is the lowest in Ireland in 2014 at €15,061, compared to the highest in the capital Dublin at €21,963. Donegal is 31% lower or almost €7,000 per head less per the CSO. As the map below shows there are nine of the 26 counties with relatively low incomes compared to some others.

Social implications of precarious work: possible consequences of atypical employment

Alicja Bobek: Since the financial crisis, and through the recovery, we hear more about the increase of precarious work. Precarious employment means insecurity, as it mostly refers to those with atypical contracts: including irregular part-time workers, self-employed with no paid employees and people employed on a temporary basis. The academic debate tends to focus on changes in the employment relationship itself, while not much attention is given to the social implications of precarity. There are some possible consequences of being in precarious employment, including financial difficulties, limited career opportunities, housing issues, or delayed family formation. While not all precarious workers are affected in the same way, it is worth discussing some of these implications.

Northern Ireland's Options to Stay Close to the EU

Nat O'Connor: At Belfast Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics, I hosted a session: Could Northern Ireland be an independent member of the EU, or have “special status”.

I thought it was important to have a forum during the festival for people to discuss the EU. I’m not pushing any particular outcome, but I present the case for taking this seriously—and what realistic options are available. Those in attendance had plenty to say on the topic too!

What follows is a summary of my contribution to this debate.

Beacon South Quarter crisis reflects the worst of Turbo Capitalism

Paul Sweeney: De-regulation, privatisation, outsourcing, low taxes, bad housing policy, speculation, regressive tax policy, and poor public services reflect turbo capitalism. This is the tragedy that is hitting many in the Beacon South Quarter.  

The strange non-death of public spending

Andrew Watt: In 2011 Colin Crouch wrote a noted book entitled The strange non-death of neoliberalism. In it he discussed why neoliberalism had managed to avoid being killed by what had appeared to be its nemesis: the global financial and economic crisis. 

Time to make AIB an Irish citizens' bank

Paul Sweeney:  The Government strategy for privatising AIB has focused solely on the art of the deal – the price, how much to sell, and when to sell our 99 per cent. There has as yet been no discussion about what comes next, including control of Ireland’s second-largest bank; its future governance; the importance of credit to SMEs and individuals; or where the billions raised will be invested. These longer-term considerations are far more important than this short-term focus on the deal.

Company law as another beggar-my-neighbour policy?

Jan Cremers:  Since the introduction of the European internal market, company law has been increasingly judged in terms of its impact on ‘competitiveness’.  This has led to some worrying developments.

Where should MNC profits be taxed?

Proinnsias Breathnach: The role of intellectual property (IP) rights in the tax avoidance strategies of multinational corporations (MNCs) in general, and Apple in particular, appears to have received little media coverage.