ESRI December 2022 Newsletter

December is a busy month in most organisations, with the ESRI being no exception. This month we were particularly productive and published work across a wide array of topics.

The latest report from our Shared Island programme quantified the impact of renewable energy policy co-ordination in the Single Electricity Market of Ireland. Our previous Shared Island outputs continue to have an impact with Taoiseach Micheál Martin drawing attention to our work on North and South education recently in a speech at the second Shared Island forum. 

Increasing future housing supply: What are the implications for the Irish economy? proposed policy solutions to the housing crisis. An increase in construction employment, critical skills visas, and a greater role for the Land Development Agency are among some of the ideas the Macroeconomic team explored.

The Quarterly Economic Commentary, Winter 2022 found that the labour market, in general, remains strong, with unemployment at a near historical low of 4.4 per cent in Q4 2022. However, with cost-of-living pressures and increases in monetary policy interest rates, economic growth will be at a significantly reduced pace in the near-term.

National Disability Authority-funded research, drawing on a survey of disabled people in receipt of personal assistance, was a sobering read with some respondents confined to their homes due to a lack of personal assistance hours or reliant on unpaid support from family and friends. An increase in hours and greater control over when and for what their funded hours could be used were perceived by disabled people to tackle gaps across employment, education and social engagement.

Next week we’ll be publishing our final report of the year, A universal basic income for Ireland: Lessons from the international literature. This research identifies key issues for consideration in the design of any UBI pilot for Ireland.

As this is our final newsletter of 2022, I want to say how grateful I am for the work and commitment of my colleagues. While the world has experienced a turbulent few years, the ESRI team has continued to deliver impactful work addressing ongoing and emerging issues, all with an eye to improving people’s lives in our country. I also want to acknowledge our funders, Whitaker Patrons and Corporate Members. Your support is invaluable and I hope we all continue to work together, building on the ESRI’s mission to produce independent, high-quality research which informs policies that support a healthy economy and that promote social progress.

Nollaig Shona duit. I’ll see you in 2023.

Regards,

Professor Alan Barrett

Director