This is the final episode in conjunction with the Irish Society for Women in Economics (ISWE). This episode features a panel discussion on gender diversity in the Irish Economics Profession. I am joined by Dr. Margaret Samahita, Assistant Professor at UCD; Dr. Kevin Devereux, Assistant Professor at Peking University; and Míde Griffin, now based at the European University Institute in Florence but who was a research assistant with the ESRI at the time of recording. The conversation revolves around some research being carried out by Marageret and Kevin on gender diversity in Irish economics, with some additional insight offered by Míde. I hope you enjoy the conversation. 

The papers discussed can be found here:

Are economics conferences gender-neutral? Evidence from Ireland:  https://www.ucd.ie/economics/t4media/WP22_25.pdf

 Gender, Productivity, and Promotion in the Irish Economics Profession: https://www.ucd.ie/economics/t4media/WP22_16.pdf

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I am joined by Lucie Martin, PhD candidate at University College Dublin, to discuss administrative burdens. If I were to distil administrative burdens into a single sentence it would be the burden created by onerous form-filling or other administrative tasks.

 We all know the pain that comes with having to fill out yet another form or go through a seemingly unnecessary administrative process, but the research by Lucie and others suggests that this can create barriers for many to access certain benefits or services. Lucie takes us through the mechanisms of how this plays out. 

This is one of those great podcast topics. It is something that I was previously unaware of but when the concept was explained to me, I found it instantly relatable and wanted to find out more. I hope you share the same enthusiasm! 

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Welcome to a new set of episodes put together in conjunction with the Irish Society for Women in Economics (ISWE).

In this first episode we discuss the gender wage gap in Ireland. I am joined by Karina Doorley of the ESRI and Donal O’Neill of Maynooth University. Both have looked at various aspects of the participation of women in the Irish workforce and also the differences in wages and earnings between men and women. Karina has charted the evolution of the gender pay gap in Ireland, while Donal and colleagues at Maynooth - Aedín Doris and Olive Sweetman - have explored the evolution of earnings after childbirth. We discuss these issues and more in this episode.

If you enjoyed listening, please subscribe and tell your friends!

Check out ISWE at the following address: https://www.iea.ie/irish-society-for-women-in-economics-iswe/

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Energy prices are on everyone's mind lately since the Ukranian conflict began. Electricity markets have come under fire at a European level with Ursula von der Leyen saying they are no longer fit for purpose. Presumably this comment is in reference to the fact that wholesale electricity markets operate by setting the price at the cost of the most expensive unit to generate at a given moment. This guides good decision making, but has the side effect of creating windfall profits in extraordinary times such as this. 

So the key question is - is there a way to reduce these windfall profits for firms, transfer those returns or economic rents to consumers, be it through a transfer or changes in prices? There are many options but all may interfere with the efficient operation of the market and create unintended consequences. One key point about electricity markets is that they are complicated and a good market brings on the right generation at the right time. This is really important for short-term efficiency but also in the long run. One example of a potential unintended consequence is in relation to decarbonisation - we need the right portfolio of wind and renewables, but also storage and flexible generation to operate when wind is idle. A good market will find the best mix for us, adjustments to the market must minimise the likelihood of interfering with this.

So that's the problem facing European decision-makers right now. In this episode I am joined by Bram Claeys, Senior Advisor with the The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), which is an independent, global NGO advancing energy policy innovation. This group have reviewed the potential options to solve this energy market conundrum, and have put forward some proposals of their own which we will discuss. 

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In this episode we discuss energy poverty and deprivation in Ireland with Barra Roantree and Michelle Barrett (ESRI). This is the first time I've had the opportunity to discuss research that I've been involved in (available here: https://www.esri.ie/publications/energy-poverty-and-deprivation-in-ireland)

We discuss the trends of energy poverty and deprivation from 1994-2016. Some households tend to respond to burdensome energy expenditures by cutting back while others are more likely to incur the additional cost while potentially cutting back on other expenditures. We discuss the groups that are more associated with either of these behaviours.

The second part of the report covers the recent energy price changes. We discuss the impacts across the income spectrum, and highlight the socioeconomic groups most affected.

Finally, we discuss ways in which the government could respond to shield those who are most vulnerable, discussing the equity (and efficiency) implications of proposed measures.

I hope you enjoy!

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This episode is all about health economics, a topic which has been on my to-do list since I started the podcast. We give an introduction to health economics and discuss the type of healthcare problems economists can help with. We go through healthcare on the island of Ireland and compare the systems in place north and south and finally we discuss the future of healthcare on the island.

On this episode we are talking to Professor Ciaran O Neill of Queen's University, Belfast. Ciaran is a professor at the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's. Many of you may know Ciaran as co-organiser of the Ireland Masterclass in Health Economics. 

If you like this or other episodes, please share on social media or tell friends, family or colleagues. @AtTheMargin on Twitter

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Today's episode features a roundtable discussion on the Ukranian conflict and what this means for energy and environmental policy in Europe. This roundtable discussion took place at a recent economics of sustainability workshop at the University of Oxford. We discussed a number of topics, including the short term policy response, the implications for the transition to renewables and agricultural policy.

Among others, participants were drawn from: the University of Oxford, Technical University of Berlin, the University of Graz, Utrecht university, the University of Barcelona, and the London School of Economics. 

My thanks to all the workshop participants who offered their voices to the podcast. We covered a wide breadth of topics, some of which I may return to in future episodes to tackle in greater depth. Please do share with friends or on social media. All the best! 

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I am joined by members of the Irish Society for Women in Economics (ISWE) executive committee to discuss the topic of women in economics. Bróna ní Chobhthaigh, Oana Peia, Karen Arulsamy and Darragh Flannery join to form the panel. Among the topics covered, we discuss some of the barriers faced by women at various stages of the career and lifecycle and how these interact.

Please check out the ISWE website where they will list many resources as the society develops. They also have accounts on the usual social media outlets:

• Email isweconomics@gmail.com
• Twitter @isweconomics
• Instagram ISWEconomics
• LinkedIn  www.linkedin.com/groups/13988991/

I hope you enjoy this discussion!

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This is our second episode on cryptocurrencies. I am joined by Dr. William Quinn, lecturer in finance at Queen's University Belfast. Will, along with his colleague Prof. John Turner, are experts when it comes to financial bubbles. Having observed crypto price dynamics that mimic a bubble, I invited Will along to give his views on whether cryptocurrency is indeed a financial bubble. 

When preparing for the chat, Will shared his recent lecture materials with me on how cryptocurrencies display many traits of financial fraud. We discuss the various types of fraud and how crypto dynamics fit these narratives. We also discuss the NFTs and tether - which is a stable coin and some of the dynamics that they introduce seem to go against many of the ideologies underpinning crypto currencies. 

Will holds the coveted position of being the first repeat guest on the podcast and also the guest to feature on our 40th episode! Thanks everyone for the support so far. If you've enjoyed the podcast, please give us a 5* review on apple podcasts to help bring in new listeners.

If you want to learn more about bubbles, check out Will's book (co-authored with Prof. John Turner) on a history of financial bubbles

https://www.cambridge.org/ie/academic/subjects/history/economic-history/boom-and-bust-global-history-financial-bubbles?format=HB

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Today I am joined by Prof. Brian Lucey of Trinity College Dublin who has carried out a lot of research in recent years on cryptocurrencies. We go through the basics behind crypto/blockchain and the dynamics in the market. Brian offers some words of caution for any central bankers that might have one eye on digital currencies!

We move on to other areas of financial markets including the recent GameStop/wallstreetbets short squeeze. Prof. Lucey has done some interesting work analysing the sentiment expressed on reddit threads to see if this really was a case of all the little guys standing up to the man or whether it was a lot of scared little guys following a few heavy hitters. 

We also discuss NFTs or non-fungible tokens. These have recently entered the public consciousness and Brian takes us through what they are and where they may get their value. 

This is part one of a two-parter on crypto. Here we cover a lot of ground and go through the economic fundamentals, with a second part lined up to discuss more recent developments. 

If you like the podcast, tell your friends and share on social media! Every 5* review on Apple podcasts pushes us up the rankings and attracts the attention of someone new - so please help me to get the word out to new listeners!

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Today we are chatting to Dr. Josue Ortega of Queen’s University Belfast. Josue is an expert in matching markets. These are essentially markets without money. Normally we use prices to allocate goods to those who value them the most - How do figure this out when we don’t have money? And what if both sides of the transaction have preferences, like matching employees to jobs or single persons to a romantic partner?

This last point is something which Josue has done a lot of work on. In particular, he has explored the impact that online dating has had on the matching process – what factors result in matching ‘success’ and how online dating has changed the pattern of matching, particularly with respect to the diversity of romantic couples.

A very interesting topic and hopefully we don’t take the romance out of dating by discussing it here!

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On today’s episode of at the margin I am joined by Dr. Flavio Toxvaerd to discuss the economics of vaccines. Flavio is a lecturer in economics at the University of Cambridge and has published widely on the economics of vaccines, immunisation and social distancing. Check out his extensive research on the topic here: https://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/people/faculty/fmot2

There’s something here for everybody really. There is insight for policymakers on how to approach social distancing and vaccine rollout; something for the nerdy economists like myself who want to think about applications for academic economic concepts; and also something for the current affairs junkie interested in better understanding issues such as vaccine nationalism and how to manage vaccine IP.

Thanks very much to Flavio and thanks very much to all the patrons for keeping the show on the road. Check out http://www.patreon.com/atthemargin if you would like to become a patron!

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In this episode, I am joined by Linus Mattauch of the Technical University of Berlin. Linus is also a research affiliate with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the University of Oxford.

Linus speaks to us about his work on making carbon pricing work for citizens. We discuss ways in which we can maximise the political acceptability of a carbon tax. This includes framing and the use of carbon tax revenues to make carbon taxes palatable to citizens. We go through some advice for policymakers, conditional on the political landscape that they face.

Linus is working at the cutting edge of this field of research so I am very grateful to him for taking the time to speak to us.

This episode is a complement to the previous carbon pricing episode with Muireann Lynch of the ESRI – please do check that out if you get a chance. In that episode, we go through the basic argument in favour of carbon pricing. Now we are taking this a step further – how best can we translate the theory into practice, taking into account some of the obstacles we face in the real world. .

Support: http://www.patreon.com/atthemargin

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Welcome back to a new series of At the Margin! This episode is a bit earlier than expected – I wanted to share it with you as soon as possible. We’ll be back to our usual Tuesday release date in due course.

Seamus Coffey joins to discuss corporation tax. Seamus is an economics lecturer at University College Cork and is a former chair of Ireland’s Fiscal Advisory Council. He is also the go-to person when it comes to discussing Ireland’s corporate tax rate having published an independent review for the Irish government in 2017.

If you’re like me, you will have kept one ear tuned to the ongoing debate surrounding Irish corporation tax but may not have fully read up on the topic to give a well-informed take. Hopefully this conversation will fill in the gaps. We discuss the basics surrounding corporation tax, how Irish tax rates interact with US tax policy and how this may change with proposals put forward by the OECD and the US.

Enjoy!

https://www.patreon.com/AtTheMargin if you'd like to help cover the costs of the podcast

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Today I am joined by Dr. Fergal O’Connor, finance lecturer at University College Cork. Fergal is an expert in gold and other precious metals.

We go through everything you wanted to know about gold. We discuss the historical reasons why gold is valuable and how this has translated into the modern world. We go through the various economic drivers and we also touch on other related commodities such as bitcoin. Fergal really knows his stuff and is very easy to listen to so I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I make a few jokes throughout that we are not giving any investment advice but maybe I should be clear – we are not giving any investment advice. We accept no liability for any losses incurred if you decide to follow any investment strategy on foot of this podcast.

The patreon page is at http://www.patreon.com/atthemargin. If you like what you hear and want to throw a few bob in the tip jar then take a look at the patreon. There’s some bonus content, hot takes and a bit of career chat on there. Some new content coming soon

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I am joined by Dr. David Zetland – David is a lecturer at Leiden University and an expert on the political economy of water management. We discuss the economics behind water management and how politics can get in the way. We discuss the economics and politics surrounding water charging throughout the British Isles and discuss the ongoing Irish water charge saga.

David is a great speaker and this is a topic I really enjoyed. I’d recommend you check out David’s podcast called jive talking (https://soundcloud.com/jivetalking) where he discusses these topics and others in greater detail.

David also has a book and other relevant online material that may be of interest:

1) The struggle for residential water metering in England and Wales

1-6.pdf">https://www.kysq.org/pubs/Art9-1-6.pdf

2) David's book (free to D/L)

Living with Water Scarcity

https://www.kysq.org/lwws/

3) Citizen regulators

https://kysq.org/aguanomics/2014/07/do-you-trust-your-neighbors/

Just a quick note to say thanks to the patrons. If you enjoy the podcast and want to throw a few shillings in the tip jar check out patreon.com/AtTheMargin.

I hope you enjoy the converation

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Today’s guest is Anja Shortland, Professor In political economy at King’s College London. Prof. Shortland does some really interesting work on the economics of crime and will speak to us today about the economic dynamics at play in hostage situations. Yes, that's correct – today’s episode is on the economics of kidnapping!

Prof. Shortland has a book entitled "Kidnap" that I would recommend if you would like to learn more about this topic.

Don't forget the patreon - www.patreon.com/AtTheMargin. If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support this work, please consider subscribing to the patreon.

Thanks!

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Hello and wlecome to this episode of "At the margin"! I have a great episode lined up with Tim Harford, Oxford economist and all-round economic raconteur. Tim joins to discuss statistics – how we can get it wrong, such as when our emotions influence our interpretation, and offers some basic rules of thumb when it comes to making sense of the information we see around us. 

Tim’s most recent book is entitled "How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers". Available: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-World-Add-Up/dp/1408712237

If you enjoy the podcast, you can subscribe to the patreon at patreon.com/AtTheMargin. We’re on twitter and Instagram with the handle @AtTheMargin too.

Enjoy! 

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Hello and welcome everyone to a special week for the podcast! We have a change in name to "At the Margin" – same great podcast, new great name!

this week we have a very special double bill. In this first part we welcome Prof. Patrick Honohan, honorary professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin. Prof. Honohan has held many positions, most notably as governor of the Irish Central Bank during the financial crisis of 2008. He has also held positions at the ESRI, the World Bank and as economic advisor to Garret FitzGerald. We discuss the role of Central Banks, the financial crisis from his perspective and Prof. Honohan gives his view on financial regulation into the future

Prof. Honohan has recently published a book entitled "Currency, Credit and Crisis" which discusses much of the material covered in the episode in greater detail. It is highly recommended: https://www.easons.com/currency-credit-and-crisis-patrick-honohan-9781108741583?gclid

If you enjoy the podcast, you can subscribe to the patreon at www.patreon.com/AtTheMargin. I’ve updated the patreon handle to reflect the new name. We’re on twitter and Instagram with the handle @AtTheMargin too.

Enjoy!  

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Today I am joined by Dr. Eoin McLaughlin, Senior Lecturer at UCC. Eoin’s work has covered economic history and environmental sustainability. We discuss how his research on the Spanish flu can help us better understand COVID death counts and how his work on Irish land bonds can better help us understand the recent debate surrounding Eurobonds/Coronabonds.

We also discuss ways to measure welfare through time while taking sustainability into account.

Please check out the patreon at patreon.com/AtTheMargin if you want to help keep things going. As you know, this is a self-funded venture. I had to pay some of the hosting bills last week and the patreon softened the blow so thanks a million to all the patrons for helping! 

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Episode #28 is with Prof. Alan Matthews, Emeritus Professor of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College Dublin. Prof. Matthews takes us through the economic conundrum that is the Common Agricultural Policy, how it has evolved and how it may develop in the future. Along the way, we touch on how the CAP can best guide sustainable agricultural practice into the future. 

I’ve mentioned before that I have set up a patreon page at patreon.com/IrishEconPod. The podcast is self-funded and patreon is a way to contribute as much or as little as you like to keep the show on the road. 

Some developments coming regarding the podcast so stay tuned!

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On today’s episode I am joined by Dr. Reamonn Lydon of the Central Bank of Ireland to discuss the wealth of Irish households. Rea has been poring over the Household Finance and Consumption Survey which is one of the primary data sources used to understand Irish household wealth – something which is notoriously difficult to get a handle on. We go through the role of inheritance in household wealth, the role of home ownership in Irish wealth and Rea gives some advice to researchers interested in using the data.

As you know, I have a patreon site at pateron.com/IrishEconPod. Patreon is a way to support the Podcast according to whatever value you place on the content. If you'd like to chip in, have a gander at the patreon site.

Thanks and hope you enjoy this conversation!

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Prof. Robert H. Frank of Cornell University joins to discuss his contribution to the field of behavioural economics. We delve into the economic consequences of 'keeping up with the Joneses' (aka 'positional externalities'); how peer pressure can help solve climate change and help in the fight against COVID19, and the strategic role of emotions.

I would recommend Prof. Frank’s book ‘Under the influence’ which covers a lot of his writing on ‘putting peer pressure to work':.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Influence-Robert-H-Frank/dp/0691193088/

If you enjoy the podcast to the value of a price of coffee a month, patreon is a way to contribute to keep the show on the road: https://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod. Social media is king nowadays so if you get a chance, please do like and share with friends - you can find the @IrishEconPod handle in all the usual places.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

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I am joined by Dr. Robbie Butler who is a lecturer at University College Cork and is an expert in Sports economics.

We discuss 'Fergie time', the use of bonus points in rugby and whether pundits are actually better than the average fan when it comes to predicting a result.

There is something in this conversation for those of us less interested in sport, too. Much of what we discuss touches on economic theories of labour productivity, agency theory and cognitive biases.

I have loads of extras uploaded to the patreon at www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod. If you enjoy the podcast to the value of a cup of coffee a month, the pareon is a way to say thanks. It also helps to secure the future of the podcast.

I hope you enjoy this conversation! 

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I am joined by Dr. Karina Doorley and Dr. Barra Roantree who are senior research officer and research officer respectively, with the Economic and Social Research Institute.

We discuss why we need taxes; what can happen when we get it wrong; and how Ireland's benefit system has been very important in helping the vulnerable during the COVID19 crisis.

We discuss some of the tools used to understand the tax benefit system, particularly Microsimulation. Karina and Barra take us through some of the work they’ve done with these methods. This is an area which I have worked in and I also pitch in where I can.

A quick reminder before we start that I have a patreon site at www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod. If you enjoy the podcast to the value of a cup of coffee a month, patreon is a way to say thanks. I am very grateful to the six patrons who have signed up so far! It’s a small token but it means a lot to keep everything going.

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This episode features music economist Chris Carey. Chris is Head of International Marketing at TicketSwap and is a founder of the FastForward music conference. He is a former Global Insight Director at Universal and EMI, and a former Senior Economist at PRS for Music.

We explore how recent changes in technology and the market shape the music we listen to. We discuss how big data are used by the industry and how changes in our consumption habits influence the structure and format of music.

I'm a big music fan so this was something that I've always been curious about. My thanks to Chris for taking the time to go through these topics.

I have set up a patreon site to help cover costs. The patreon site is at patreon.com/IrishEconPod. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast as much as you enjoy a cup of coffee, the patreon is a way to say thanks. There is some bonus material there too.

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Today I am joined by Pete Lunn of the ESRI to discuss behavioural economics and behavioural science. This is our second episode dealing with behavioural science - I would urge you to check out the earlier conversation with Liam Delaney if you have not done so already. Today’s conversation builds on many of the concepts first discussed with Liam.

Pete and his team at the ESRI are responsible for loads of cool research projects that try to understand how we make decisions. For example, his work deals with the mechanics of how we weigh up the pros and cons of our credit card plan or how we decide who to buy our electricity from. They use insights from economics, psychology and other fields to fully understand the decision-making process. More recently, his team have done some very important work in relation to COVID19 and how we can encourage social distancing. We discuss these topics and much more.

If you'd like to buy a coffee to say thanks, I have set up a Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod. Thanks a million to the two patrons who signed up last week - it means a lot.

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We cover:

1) Why become an economist

2) Common pathways to becoming an economist

3) A recommended approach to studying economics

4) Career options and some factors that determine what role is suitable for you

5) Navigating a PhD

My thanks to - Prof John FizGerald; Prof. Edgar Morgenroth, Prof. Liam Delaney, Dr. Darragh Flannery, Dr. Muireann Lynch, Dr. Jacquelyn Pless, Gerard Brady, Dara Doyle and everyone else who gave me comments and suggestions online and in general chat over the past few days.

I hope I have mentioned everyone but if not, thank you. I hope to update in future this incorporate any new information so if you have any comments please do get in touch

I pay for the podcast myself. If you would like to chip in or would like to hear some bonus content, you can do so at http://www.patreon.com/irisheconpod

Thanks!

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I am joined by Dr. William Quinn, lecturer in finance at Queen’s University Belfast to discuss stock market bubbles. We go through the ‘British bicycle mania,’ big shorts and savvy bond villains who have resorted to shady stock market trades.

Some of you have enquired about ways to support the podcast and help cover the costs. I was able to acquire a small amount of funding to cover some of the start-up costs, but there has been a growing gap being filled by my own pocket. If you'd like to chip in, I’ve set up a Patreon page at

http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

There is no obligation. In general, I'm happy to cover the costs but hopefully the patreon can keep them at a sustainable level. The main podcast feed is a public good that will always be free. 

As ever, , if you get a chance, a 5* review on Apple podcasts helps spread the word. Thanks!

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This is a bumper episode this week. I am joined by Dr. Graham Brownlow (Queen's University Belfast) to discuss the Northern Irish Economy.

We go through the development of the Northern Irish economy throughout the 20th Century and a little bit before. Graham's expert knowledge really gives us a depth of understanding that I have not heard elsewhere.

Indeed, I learned a lot from this discussion. Growing up in Longford we hear a lot about the politics of Northern Ireland but very little about the economy. Of course politics has influenced the economy and Graham talks about that but not always in the ways that you would expect.

One such example is the story of how the DeLorean car from Back to the Future came to be manufactured just outside Belfast. It’s a fascinating story and we go through that in great detail.

Enjoy! 

If you would like to support: http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

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This week we have a departure from the usual COVID related topics. In this episode I am joined by Jonathan Ruane, a Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and adjunct at TCD.

Jonathan and I discuss the impact Artificial intelligence may have on the global economy. We go through the disruptive technologies of AI and machine learning, introduce them for those unfamiliar and discuss how these technologies may develop. This is something I find fascinating myself as projections range from something akin to science fiction right up to something similar to disruptive technologies that we have seen already such as the Model T or the internet.

We delve into how these technologies might affect the economy and even veer off into related discussions about a just transition and universal basic income.

This episode was recorded many months ago in a pre-COVID world. I met Jonathan in Dublin over the Christmas break before social distancing was part of our vocabulary. 

If you enjoyed this or any other episode, please give us a rating on apple podcasts. You can scroll down now while reading and hit five stars if you have an iPhone. Reviews are really heavily weighted on the apple chart algorithm I’ve come to realise - we always seem to climb the charts when we get a few reviews! So thanks to all who have given us five stars to date. It really means a lot. 

If you would like to support: http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

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On this episode I am joined by Dr. Orla Doyle. Orla is Associate Professor at the UCD School of Economics and a Research Fellow at the Geary Institute at UCD. Orla specialises in the economics of human development, particularly on evaluating the effectiveness of early childhood interventions.

Orla has led an exciting research project entitled 'Preparing for life', which evaluates the effectiveness of early childhood intervention programmes. We discuss this programme and Orla offers a few tips for any parents out there, arising from her work.

We discuss the impact that the recession has had on health and well-being, through the lens of a study on maternal health. While there are negative effects, as one would expect, we find some surprising positive effects. There are also a few lessons to be learned when it comes to the current COVID19 crisis and Orla takes us through those.

Increasing inequality is something we think about a lot nowadays, even before covid19 but increasing educational inequality was something that was not on my radar. Orla also has done some important writing in relation to this and takes us through some issues we need to plan for when fighting covid19.

Finally, to borrow the famous Monty Python phrase, we wrap up with something completely different when Orla takes us through her study of the impact terrorism may have on well being.

Please subscribe on your podcast app and tell your friends. If you like the show, give us a shout out on twitter or leave a 5* review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks!

If you would like to support: http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

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I am joined today by Dr. Ronan Lyons to speak about the Irish Property market. Ronan is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin, with research interests in housing markets, urban economics, and economic history. You may also know Ronan from his work with Daft, where he is responsible for many of their pieces of economic analysis.

Ronan brings us through the important factors to bear in mind when thinking about Irish property markets, we discuss how these issues have affected the Irish market over the past 20 years. We touch on social housing, Airbnb, working from home and of course, COVID19. Ronan also gives us some sage advice on how to approach home buying. 

If you enjoy this discussion, please give us a shout out on Twitter @IrishEconPod. If you are reading this on an iPhone, a 5-star review would mean a lot!

If you would like to support: http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

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We continue the COVID-19 theme this week. Having explored the impacts from various academic angles we now explore the impact from an industry perspective. This is important insight as we have heard a lot of numbers over the last few weeks but less attention has been paid on discussing the problems driving these figures.

Gerard Brady, chief economist with IBEC, explains how the crisis manifests itself at the industry level and outlines some of the policy levers that would help most from their perspective. Among the measures discussed, Gerard emphasizes the importance of liquidity supports to keep otherwise good businesses afloat so that the economy is ready to go once restrictions are lifted.

It's a really interesting chat and a little bit eye-opening to hear the extent and depth of the impact.

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We have an episode of a slightly different focus today, where we view the EU decision-making from a political science perspective.

Speaking to you on the 7th of April, it is clear that EU intervention will be of central importance to kickstarting the European economy once the COVID19 pandemic dies down. Indeed, today is a day when the Eurogroup meet to discuss their COVID19 response.

However, the nature and design of any agreed-upon economic measures are predicated on the political relationships that exist in Europe, political relationships that have evolved over a financial crisis, a drawn-out Brexit negotiation and now a COVID19 crisis.

To help understand the nature of these relationships, and the bearing they might have on the nature of the economic decisions that will be made today and further into the COVID19 crisis, I am delighted to be joined by Prof. Brigid Laffan of the European University Institute in Florence.

Prof. Laffan is a leading thinker when it comes to the dynamics of European integration, Brexit and EU governance and has written extensively on the evolving nature of relations within the EU. To get the full context of EU decision-making, we discuss her work on the 2008 financial crisis and Brexit before turning to the COVID-19 response. We then discuss the implications for the future of the EU and Brexit negotiations.

If you would like to support: http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

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On this bonus episode, I am joined by Linda Thunstrom and Stephen Newbold who are Assistant Professors at the University of Wyoming. Along with co-authors, they produced a very interesting paper quantifying the costs and benefits of social distancing. We take a deep-dive into this paper which is a very timely piece of work.

Given the time constraints, Stephen and Linda produce a fairly robust argument in favour of social distancing. This provides an evidence base to reassure us that even the hard-nosed economists agree that the current course of action is correct. 

If you would like to support: http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

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In this episode I am joined by Prof. Michael McMahon of the University of Oxford. Prof. McMahon is also a member of Ireland’s Fiscal Advisory Council. We had arranged this discussion some time ago before the COVID19 outbreak, with the original plan to cover the fiscal and monetary tools used to manage the economy. However, given recent developments we also discuss the response to COVID-19 (this episode was recorded on 30th of March 2020).

Hopefully we can fill in the gaps when it comes to understanding the various policy levers before going on to discuss their role in managing the current crisis.

If you would like to support: http://www.patreon.com/IrishEconPod

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Welcome to the Christmas Special part 2. Don't forget to check out part one if you haven't already.

This is another fun chat about a very important topic – is Christmas really coming earlier every year? This is strictly speaking a statistics question but I think its one listeners of the podcast will find very interesting. I am joined by Nathan Cunningham, statistician and data scientist, who has just completed his PhD in statistics at Warwick University. In his spare time, Nathan uses the complicated statistical methods from his day job to shed some light on some of life's often overlooked, but nonetheless important, questions.

We discuss Nathan's study, which has received a lot of media attention in recent years (especially around the festive period). We discuss the methods involved and whether or not Nathan finds that Christmas is coming earlier or whether it is all in our imagination. There is something here for everyone – the data nerds will love to hear how he answers the question and, if you’re like me, you’ll also be dying to hear whether there is indeed a creep to the festive start time.

We touch on some of the other topics Nathan has covered in his spare time, including the point at which the 'golden age' of the Simpsons ended. I highly recommend checking out Nathan's blog at http://www.nathancunn.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review on itunes and tag us on Twitter or Instagram @IrishEconPod! Thanks for all the support and I hope you have a very Happy Christmas!

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Christmas special part 1: The Economics of Christmas

This is the first part of our two-part Christmas special. Given the time of year, this is a lighter take on economics. In this episode, I am joined by Shane Doherty to have a chat about the economics of Christmas. Shane is not an economist but an enquiring mind when it comes to economics so a good guy to ask the tough questions surrounding Christmas.

We challenge the conventional wisdom that Christmas is important for the economy - it is, given our current spending pattern - but would we spend as much if we didn't have Christmas? We discuss this and some of the pros and cons associated with the bump in spending during the festive season.

We discuss the economics of giving presents and use some economic rationale to advise on a welfare-maximising gift-giving strategy. We even take a quick detour to discuss the economics of weddings!

I hope you enjoy listening. Tag us @IrishEconPod on twitter, facebook or instagram if you get a chance and leave a review on iTunes.

I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas!

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Episode 9 features Dr. Benjamin Bodirsky of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Benjamin has done a lot of research modelling the global food system. Such modelling is important to figure out how the system will be able to support changes in population growth, changes in dietary preferences and respect environmental constraints.

In this podcast, we discuss the current trends in global food demand and how this has changed. We discuss the implications this will have for global food and climate systems and what needs to be done to stay within environmental limits. We also discuss some of the implications for policy in Ireland, Germany and elsewhere.

This is the last episode of the podcast for series one. If you haven't done so already, please share with friends and family and tag us @IrishEconPod. As always, we want to get the word out to as many as possible so please help us grow a solid fanbase in preparation for series two.

Thanks!

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In Episode 8, I am joined by Dr. Darragh Flannery of the University of Limerick. Darragh is an expert in the economics of education. We discuss why economists need to study education and different ways in which one can conceptualise investment in education. We discuss the implications for policy and how these ideas inform public support for education.

Darragh has done research on third level funding options and we discuss the merits of different proposals currently being considered in Ireland. We also discuss the impact location has on the accessibility of Irish students to third level education and touch on potential policy options to overcome growing hurdles for those in rural areas.

For further information on the topics discussed, go to IrishEconPod.com where there will be links to Darragh's research in this area.

If you are enjoying the podcast, please tell your friends. If social media is your poison, tag us in @IrishEconPod on twitter, instagram or facebook. Hearing the positive feedback makes it all worthwhile!

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In this episode, I am joined by Prof. Stephen Kinsella of the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick. Stephen has turned his hand to many topics, most notably applying novel method to the task of understanding the macroeconomy.

It has been said that the economic crisis was a crisis for macroeconomics. We probe elements of this statement in this episode. We begin by discussing what economists mean by macroeconomics and the history of macroeconomic model development. We discuss some of the simplifications required given technical constraints and how these have been gradually overcome as technology has developed. We discuss some of the novel approaches taken by Stephen and his team in an effort to further develop this field.

We discuss the importance of thinking about globalisation from different perspectives - geographers, anthropologists and political scientists have important things to say about the macroeconomy. This is an especially pertinent field of enquiry given the current political climate. We wrap up by discussing the importance of interpersonal linkages in understanding economic impacts - how important are personal relationships and interactions in determining economic performance?

Thank you to Stephen for offering his time.

And thank you to everyone who has sent good wishes and provided such overwhelmingly positive feedback over the past few weeks. There are 2, maybe 3, more episodes left in this first series and I really want to get as many listeners on board as possible before it draws to a close. So if you have friends colleagues who may be interested, or if you are at school or college – please, please mention the podcast.

Please tag @IrishEconPod on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and mention your favourite episode. A tweet on twitter or a tag on Instagram always leads to new listeners! Thanks for all your help!

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Episode 6 features Professor Eoin Reeves and Dr. Donal Palcic who are experts in analysing the financing of public infrastructure. We discuss the economics behind 'public-private partnerships' (PPPs) which are a common way for the private sector to participate in the provision of public infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and more recently, broadband. PPPs have been the subject of much debate. Eoin and Donal provide an excellent overview of the pros and cons of these methods of funding.

We discuss why PPPs have proved a popular means for public investment in recent years. We go through their use in the current national broadband plan and discuss the aspects that deserve further scrutiny, with some excellent insight offered.

We discuss the methods of financing public roads and how there is a move away from a model of tolling roads. Eoin and Donal explain the economic rationale behind this shift.

We finish up by discussing the privatisation of Eircom. We learn about the repeated mismanagement of this company and the lasting legacy that we see today, where our telecoms infrastructure is lagging behind other countries.

My thanks to Prof. Reeves and Dr. Palcic for their time and insight. Links to their papers on PPP can be found on IrishEconPod.com, including their overview of the privatisation of Eircom which is a particularly interesting read.

If you like the podcast, make sure to tell colleagues/classmates/friends/enemies. We have received a great response so far but still need to get the word out to other interested listeners. Follow us on @IrishEconPod on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. There are updates and from time to time, other related content that may be of interest to listeners. Thanks!

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This episode provides an overview of energy economics.

I take a slightly different format this week. I offer some insight into the Irish electricity market, inspired by some requests from Twitter followers (@IrishEconPod). Alongside this, Dr. Jacquelyn Pless of the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) and Dr. Muireann Lynch of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) offer their expert insight into various aspects of energy economics.

This episode begins with a discussion of the Irish electricity market, its development and how a liberalised electricity market operates. Dr. Muireann Lynch then offers some insight into recent changes to the market structure.

The operation of the electricity market as we approach full renewable penetration is something that can be very confusing. I give some insight into how new technologies will be required to achieve renewables targets. Dr. Jacquelyn Pless offers her expertise on the various policy options that can be used to incentivise more R&D to develop these technologies.

Finally, we discuss the operation of electricity markets once smart technologies and household-level generation takes off. Are we all going to become electricity traders? What should policymakers do to avoid very real pitfalls and ensure that these development benefit consumers?

If you'd like to learn more about the topics discussed, further information is available on IrishEconPod.com under the 'contributors' section.

Please remember to follow @IrishEconPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates. If you like the podcast, tell your friends! An apple podcast review will be very important in helping us secure a second series so a 5-star rating would help a lot. Thanks!

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Ep. 4 discusses behavioural science - the psychology of decision-making. Economics has a reputation for not fully appreciating the complexities of human decision-making. Many economic theories assume that we all make 'rational' decisions - that we can perfectly process all the details like a computer and come up with the best outcome (or, in econ-speak, we 'maximise utility').

In this episode, I am joined by Prof. Liam Delaney of the UCD Geary Institute. Liam explains that this simplification was not always present and that somewhere in the early stages of the discipline, the psychology fell by the wayside, only to be re-introduced very recently. We discuss this development, taking a detour to discuss Longford's under-appreciated Francis Edgeworth (often overshadowed locally by his Aunt Maria!) and his contribution to the development of economics.

We discuss the various psychological factors that affect our decision-making and how behavioural economists try to understand them. We discuss nudging - how public bodies can use psychology to guide us towards choices that are in our best interest (like taking out a pension or eating a healthy diet) and touch on the ethical issues of these policies. We also consider the risk that firms may use this knowledge to 'nudge' us towards outcomes that are not necessarily in our interest.

We wrap up by discussing how working in this field has affected Liam's decision-making.

Professor Liam Delaney is the AIB Chair of Behavioural Economics at the UCD Geary Institute and Visiting Professor of Economics at Stirling University. Some of the papers mentioned in the interview are available in the 'Contributors' section of IrishEconPod.com.

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Dr. Muireann Lynch joins to discuss why economists love carbon taxes so much. We go through the economic reasoning behind a carbon tax, we discuss why a carbon tax is better than a subsidy and we debate the various ways carbon tax revenues can be redistributed to householders.

Practice often differs to theory and we discuss some of the peculiarities surrounding carbon taxation in Ireland and the EU. We explain the waterbed effect and why renewable energy subsidies do not necessarily reduce emissions. We also discuss the pitfalls of renewable energy promotion as a means of industrial strategy and Ireland's close call with wave energy.

Links to some of Muireann's papers on this topic are available on IrishEconPod.com

Please subscribe and spread the word. This is an independent podcast so all comments you can offer will help us to keep going for series two! Thanks!

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Episode 2 of the Irish Economics Podcast addresses the strategy behind the Brexit decisions. Edgar Morgenroth, professor of economics at DCU joins as we discuss Brexit decision making from the beginning. Was Brexit inevitable, given anti-EU sentiment, or could David Cameron have taken a different approach? How much of Theresa May's woes were down to poor decision-making and how much was down to being faced with a problem that has no solution? And what is Boris Johnson's strategy, an especially curious question given his recent actions. We probe the strategy behind the decisions and try to place a likelihood on various potential outcomes.

Edgar has carried out a number of research projects assessing the impacts of a no-deal Brexit and we discuss these at the end. If you would like to know more, I have included links to various papers on the website http://www.IrishEconPod.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please tell your friends and show your support with a few words in the iTunes reviews.

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We have a very special first episode as Prof. John FitzGerald joins to discuss Ireland's economic history. John has been involved in Irish economics in one shape or another since he joined the department of Finance in 1972. John takes us through Ireland's divorce bill - when Ireland's national debt burden became intertwined with how the Northern Ireland border was to be drawn. We discuss the implications of poor economic performance up to the late 50s and the role T.K. Whitaker had in turning this around in the 60s and beyond. John gives us insight into the leadership qualities of Whitaker and what it was like working in Irish economics in the 70s and 80s.

If you would like to learn more, there are links to John's papers on Ireland's divorce bill and John's macroeconomic modelling work available on the website http://www.IrishEconPod.com

If you liked this episode, please show your support with a few nice words in an iTunes review.

John FitzGerald is adjunct professor in Economics at TCD and a former research professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute.

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