News

A major piece of research on social disadvantage in urban areas has just been published by the Department of Social Protection. The Research Paper “Combating Social Disadvantage in Social Housing Estates: The policy implications of a ten-year follow-up study” has … Continue reading →

The local government system in Ireland is one of the smallest in the OECD. Despite the common perception of a country overloaded with local councillors and authorities the reality is that Ireland has relatively fewer councillors than all other EU … Continue reading →

Public service reform in Ireland has long been the victim of political leaders failing to confront the need to change how we organise ourselves. All too often this thorny issue has been left to individual civil and public servants, many … Continue reading →

The Council for European Municipalities and Regions each year produces a useful overview of the state of local government across Europe. In the larger countries it is clear that local government plays a significant role. In France for example, there … Continue reading →

One of the key features of the Programme for Government, and highlighted in a previous newsletter, is the introduction of a Comprehensive Spending Review Process. The CSR is now well advanced and we can expect to see the initial fruits … Continue reading →

In an exciting new development, a number of Ireland’s leading public policy advisors have come together to provide services across a range of areas of topical interest. In what will be the first such initiative in the country the network … Continue reading →

Seamus Mallon the former deputy leader of the SDLP and ultimately Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive once (allegedly) likened the Good Friday Agreement as a “Sunningdale for slow learners“. No doubt he was thinking about the progress … Continue reading →

There are thirty four county and city councils in Ireland. In addition, some 80 towns have a local town or borough council. These smaller councils are effectively part of their bigger brothers at county level so realistically when it comes … Continue reading →

A major conference on the potential of the Knowledge Economy to underpin regional and local development is being organised by the Regional Studies Association-Irish Branch. It is to take place in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth on Monday 12th … Continue reading →

One of the more interesting, and hopeful, aspects of the recession has been the willingness of local communities to take increasing charge of their own economic futures. Across the State there are initiatives which range from helping the creation of … Continue reading →