Open Journal Systems Trinity College Dublin
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Improving Criminal Justice Data and Policy
Get PDFCriminal justice policy in Ireland is often criticised for lacking a robust evidence base. Increased knowledge about crime and criminal justice may act to enrich all types of criminological enquiry and policy formation. This paper explores the potential of large population registries, similar to those created in the health sector, to inform criminal justice policymaking. The paper looks at the importance of such data collection for criminal justice research and policy and the potential hurdles to its development
The Effects of Fiscal Shocks on the Exchange Rate in Spain
Get PDFWe analyse the impact of fiscal shocks on the Spanish effective exchange rate over the period 1981-2008 using a standard structural VAR framework. Government spending brings about positive responses of output and private consumption, jointly with real appreciation and a fall in trade balances. Real appreciation is explained by persistent nominal appreciation and higher relative prices. Accordingly, our results are largely consistent with the predictions of not only the conventional Mundell-Fleming model, but also of a number of New Keynesian models under standard calibrations. Moreover, our estimations are also consistent with the “twin deficits” hypothesis
Economic Crisis and the Restructuring of Wage Setting Mechanisms for Vulnerable Workers in Ireland
Get PDFThe Memorandum of Understanding negotiated with the EU/IMF in 2010 committed the government to reform the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) system covering low pay workers. A significant rationale for the proposed reform was the claim that JLC regulations unduly added to the cost of labour regarding overtime rates and particularly premiums for Sunday working. Using the 2007 National Employment Survey this paper examines the structure of earnings of workers likely to be covered by the JLC system and the extent to which low pay workers benefit from overtime earnings, shift allowances and bonuses in the private sector. The evidence does not support the argument that overtime payments including Sunday premiums in sectors covered by JLCs represent a major cost to employers in general. Few workers actually benefit from the JLC overtime rates. We argue that the removal of a floor on conditions of employment provided by the JLCs may not always be in the interests of the employer but may create a race to the bottom in low pay sectors of the economy
Supporting the Conservation of Farm Landscapes Via the Tourism Sector
Get PDFAgri-environmental subsidy payments have, in part, been designed to compensate farmers for employing environmentally friendly farming techniques that provide multiple ecosystem services to the public. These public good benefits have also been well recognised in the context of a growing rural tourism sector. However, the high costs associated with the subsidy schemes, in conjunction with the ongoing economic recession, mean that it is necessary to explore alternative sources of funding in order to sustain the farming community. Through a case study in western Ireland, we explore the potential of a “beneficiary pays” approach to generate revenues for funding the maintenance of farm landscapes, which are a fundamental attractor of tourists to the region. Our results suggest that both tourists visiting the region and accommodation providers in the locality are willing to contribute towards the costs of preserving farm landscapes and that such a scheme may generate substantial contributions, albeit not sufficient to replace existing government funding
The Length of Stay of In-Patient Stroke Discharges in Irish Acute Hospitals
Get PDFStroke imposes an important economic burden worldwide and acute in-patient care accounts for a large proportion of costs in the first year following stroke. Length of stay (LOS) is regarded as a key determinant of in-patient costs and the primary focus of this study is to examine associations between LOS of acute stroke discharges and a range of individual and system level factors. Specific focus is placed on the association between stroke units and LOS. Results indicate associations between a number of policy-relevant variables and LOS including among others, MRSA infection, availability of brain imaging and discharge destination. We find some evidence that acute stroke units are associated with lower LOS however these findings should be interpreted carefully
The Pavlik Harness as Treatment for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip: TSMJ Paediatrics Prize Essay, 2013
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Estimating the Value of Achieving “Good Ecological Status” in the Boyne River Catchment in Ireland Using Choice Experiments
Get PDFFollowing the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), integrated catchment management plans must be prepared for all river basins in order to achieve “Good Ecological Status” (GES) in all EU waters. This concept is a broader measure of water quality than the chemical and biological measures which were previously dominant in EU water policy. The directive also calls for a consideration of the economic costs and benefits of improvements to the water bodies” ecological status in catchment management plans, along with the introduction of full social cost pricing for water use. In this paper, the Choice Experiment (CE) method of valuation is used to estimate the value of improvements in a number of components of ecological status in the Boyne river catchment in Ireland. The study determines what value the targeted population of the catchment place on the non-market economic benefits of moves towards GES. In addition, the effect of various factors of observed individual heterogeneity on choice is explored
A Fragile Eurozone in Search of a Better Governance
Get PDFWhen entering a monetary union, member-countries change the nature of their sovereign debt in a fundamental way, i.e. they cease to have control over the currency in which their debt is issued. As a result, financial markets can force these countries’ sovereigns into default. In this sense member countries of a monetary union are downgraded to the status of emerging economies. This makes the monetary union fragile and vulnerable to changing market sentiments. It also makes it possible that self-fulfilling multiple equilibria arise. I analyse the implications of this fragility for the governance of the Eurozone. I conclude that the new governance structure (ESM) does not sufficiently recognise this fragility. Some of the features of the new financial assistance are likely to increase this fragility. In addition, it is also likely to rip member-countries of their ability to use the automatic stabilisers during a recession. This is surely a step backward in the long history of social progress in Europe. I suggest a different approach to deal with these problems
