Open Journal Systems Trinity College Dublin
Not a member yet
823 research outputs found
Sort by
Health in the ESR: Observations and Reflections
Get PDFThis article surveys articles relating to health in the ESR, identifying and reviewing broad research themes, and offering some observations and reflections on the more than fifty contributions to date. The majority of health articles tend to be empirical or applied in nature, often with an explicit policy focus, and there has been a marked increase in the number of health publications in the past decade, in part reflecting the now widespread availability of new high-quality microdata. A notable focus of a large number of articles has been on inequalities or disparities in health care utilisation, health outcomes, and health behaviours. Overall the ESR has made a meaningful contribution to the dissemination of high quality, impactful and policy-relevant health research over its fifty years. Nonetheless, there are a number of important health-related topics that have, somewhat surprisingly, received scant attention to date in the journal
From Income Poverty to Multidimensional Quality of Life
Get PDFIn this paper we provide an overview of the movement in Ireland from a focus on income poverty to the incorporation of deprivation indicators in a multidimensional approach to the measurement of poverty. We then seek to place this approach, involving a restricted incorporation of deprivation dimensions, in the context of a broader multidimensional approach to the understanding of poverty in Ireland. We proceed to extend our consideration to multidimensional approaches to quality of life which have involved macro and micro approaches to developing aggregate measures that go well beyond the normal concerns of poverty research. In so doing, we will seek to show that while all of these approaches must face key judgements relating to choices of dimensions, thresholds, weighting and aggregation, there is significant variation in the challenges posed in relation to the scale of aggregation, the degree of multidimensionality aspired to and the availability of data sources that match such ambitions. Given these issues, the superiority of a multidimensional approach and of a focus more broadly on quality of life must be demonstrated rather than assumed
Reclaiming Truth in Art: : Imagination as Means of Ontological and Moral Engagement
Get PDFBeing human has long implied fascination with truth; nevertheless, the contemporary condition finds humankind in a post-truth position where truth has become corrupted by an overreliance on rationality. How does one reclaim truth? Nietzsche provided an answer to this question which contemporary society ignored: art. This paper follows Nietzsche’s advice and explore the ways in which art provides insight to truth. By first surveying the history of rationality that led to the separation of art and truth, then by investigating the ways in which art reveals ontological truth both aesthetically and, ultimately, through imagination, this paper shows that a reclaiming of art as a means to truth is significant to once again access a sense of truth that humanity has lost. Additionally, in the imaginative mode of thinking evoked by art, one may come to access not only a reconnection with Being as such, but an additional connection with fellow beings, implying that art may provide a particular extension of imagination into morality. Arguing for a reconsideration of truth as humanity knows it, this paper suggests that art may be a vital means of reclaiming a more truthful truth
Blame it on the Barbarians:: Ethnic Categorisation and Jingoism in the Cultural Memory of the Sack of Rome c.390BCE
Get PDFAs with much of the early history of the Roman Republic, the Sack of Rome c.390BCE is known more from legend than verifiable historical fact and is subject to several varying retellings in later Latin and Greek literature. One of the key variations, however, lies in who, precisely, is responsible for the attack on the city. The majority of accounts place the blame on a largely undifferentiated mass of Gauls, recently arrived in the Italian peninsula from beyond the Alps. This conflict gives rise to a centuries-spanning cultural enmity between Rome and the Gallic race in total. However, the unusually detailed first century BCE accounts of Livy and Diodorus both attribute the attack to the Senones, a single group of Gauls already resident in northern Italy for several generations. Since this latter version appears better supported by archaeological and linguistic evidence, it seems that cultural memories of the Sack gradually became warped, and the guilt of the Senones was transferred to the entire ethnic category in which they were placed. This paper aims to examine how and why this change occurred and its relationship with the rhetoric of jingoism, ethnic prejudice, and demonization in both the ancient and modern worlds
Maternal mortality or maternal morality? A critique of proposals to introduce maternal upper age limits for Assisted Human Reproduction services in Ireland.
Get PDFThe process of in-vitro fertilization for post-menopausal women is an issue which generates fevered publicity, rancorous debate, and ethical dilemmas. Since the 1990s, assisted human reproduction (AHR) via IVF has become more affordable, widespread, and successful. While IVF is most commonly used to treat pre-menopausal women struggling with fertility issues, at an increased level, postmenopausal women are seeking treatment to implant fertilized embryos long after their own natural egg production has ceased. In recent months, the Irish Department of Health has taken steps to regulate the provision of AHR services in Ireland. This article aims to contribute to the legal and ethical discussion surrounding maternal age limits, considering current medical facts, ethical principles, and alternative models of AHR. If there is an age at which reproduction is deemed too risky, should formal legal restrictions be placed on access to infertility treatment based on age? Is that consistent with international cedes of human rights that recognize a right to reproduce? Should doctors support the autonomy and desire of older women to reproduce, or in fact should state-regulated infertility programmes seek to actively outlaw AHR for older patients
Perspectives on Practice: ‘What will the outcome of Outcomes-Based Accountability be for Northern Ireland’s arts and cultural organisations?’
Get PDFThe first piece for Perspectives in Practice, Margaret Henry of Thrive examines the implications, challenges and potential benefits of the introduction of an Outcomes-Based Accountability approach to government planning by the Northern Ireland Executive.
Prior to its collapse, the Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly was about to sign off a new Programme for Government (PfG). A fundamental change to previous government planning is the adoption of an Outcomes-based Accountability® or OBA approach to measurement, developed by Mark Friedman (1). The process of developing and implementing this new process has encountered a number of problems and some would argue is flawed in its approach. This has led to much confusion in government, and between government and the voluntary and cultural sectors, in particular around co-design, one of its underpinning principles. In this, the Irish Journal of Arts Management and Cultural Policy’s first piece for ‘Perspectives in Practice’, Margaret Henry attempts to unpick some of the pitfalls and challenges of this approach. She considers what this approach is and means for the arts and cultural sector strategically, operationally, and as a fundamental planning and evaluation tool for the future. Since 2015, Henry has been part of the Arts Collaboration Network, an informal voluntary group of cultural organisations working with Community Evaluation Northern Ireland on how the cultural sector might respond to this new approach through adopting a ‘Theory of Change’ model of impact planning. In this article, she draws on her most recent work as CEO of Thrive to look at how the organisation has grappled with introducing a Theory of Change approach
Foreword to Special Edition of The Economic and Social Review
Get PDFEconomic policymaking in Ireland has long been flying blind. Few, if any, reliable measures of the Irish business cycle were available before the last crisis. In fact, many estimates were deeply misleading in retrospect. This is the situation the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council was facing in 2013 when it was given a mandate to endorse the government’s official macroeconomic forecasts. Short-term forecasts looked to be within a reasonable range of possible outcomes. But estimates of medium-term growth and of the economy’s cyclical position – based on the EU’s Commonly Agreed Methodology – were deemed implausible, including by the Department of Finance. Yet, in the absence of alternatives, the Council found itself in the uncomfortable position of having to verify that the standard approach was, at minimum, correctly implemented
Measuring the Cycle and Structural Shocks
Get PDFThe rules that guide fiscal policy in many countries are often specified in terms of cyclically-adjusted measures of the budget deficit. Accounting for the cycle is important because public finances are flattered when the economy is cyclically strong. However measuring the cycle is difficult as the uncertainty surrounding estimates of potential output is significant, especially when the economy is hit by structural shocks. As a consequence, a fiscal framework targeting measures of cyclically-adjusted budget positions and point forecasts has led to spending and taxes being influenced by contentious forecasting assumptions. A more robust approach would take account of the unreliability of the cyclical adjustment or forecasts. A suggestion is to focus on risks around medium-term fiscal forecasts, supported by an independent watchdog. This would contribute to sustainable policy, while avoiding excess sensitivity to forecasts