Author: The Irish Economy

Prof. Donal O’Neill R.I.P

On behalf of the Economics Department in Maynooth University.

We are greatly saddened by the news that our colleague in Maynooth’s Economics Department, Donal O’Neill, has died after a short illness. He was just 56.

Donal was a first-rate economist and published in many top journals, including the Journal of Political Economy, the Economic Journal, the Journal of Labor Economics and the Journal of Human Resources. He was an excellent, innovative teacher and a wonderful colleague. Donal’s main research fields were labour economics and inequality, but he also had a considerable interest in econometric methodology, which fed into his applied research. Among his many contributions to the Irish economics community, he served as president of the Irish Economic Association from 2014-16 and as an enthusiastic member of the inaugural Irish Low Wage Commission.

All of his work was marked by a real love of Economics – he never stopped being fascinated by the insights Economics offered, or by its potential as a force for good. Donal was also a very decent and kind person. He will be very sadly missed.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends, particularly with his wife, Olive Sweetman, also a member of Maynooth’s Economics Department.

Call for Papers: Economics Winter Workshop, Central Bank

  • Submission Deadline: 30th September 2023
  • Notification Date: 15th October 2023
  • Event Date: 21st December 2023, 08.30-17:00
  • Format: In person
  • Venue: Central Bank of Ireland, Dublin
  • Registration: Details TBC

Central Bank of Ireland will host the inaugural “Economics Winter Workshop” in Dublin on 21 December 2023. We aim to provide an annual forum for economists, both domestic and foreign-based, to connect and discuss current issues within our Research Agenda. This covers a wide range of topics, including many new as well as long-standing issues relevant to small open economies with complex financial systems. Such engagement enhances the quality of our policy decisions and advice, through the creation of networks that foster collaboration and facilitate challenge. 

We will select approximately five to eight papers, with a discussant for each to facilitate wider participation. Selection will balance seniority and topic, aiming for a diverse representation. While it is expected participants will cover their own costs, there is some funding available upon application. The event will also feature a keynote lecture by Kevin O’Rourke and a policy panel with Philip Lane, Martina Lawless, Niamh Moloney and Michael McMahon. 

We invite submissions before September 30 and will notify authors before October 15. The programme committee comprises of Daragh Clancy, Gillian Phelan, Martin O’Brien and Gerard O’Reilly. 

This event is in person. For submissions, and in case of any questions, please email researchexchange@centralbank.ie with “Economics Winter Workshop” in the subject line. 

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Philip Lane, Chief Economist, European Central Bank
  • Martina Lawless, Research Professor, Economic and Social Research Institute
  • Niamh Moloney, Professor of Law, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Michael McMahon, Professor of Economics, Oxford University
  • Kevin O’Rourke, Professor of Economics, NYU Abu Dhabi

Are all economists just focused on growth?

Dr Emma Howard of TUDublin, and chair of the Irish Society of Women in Economics (ISWE), has an opinion piece on TheJournal.ie examining the practice of economics and the work of some of her colleagues in Ireland. You can read it here.

Readers may also be interested to note that at the recent AGM of the Irish Economic Association, a motion was unanimously passed to make ISWE a standing committee within the IEA.

Revenue Annual Report and Research Papers

Last week Revenue published its Annual Report, detailing the activities behind the collection of €82.4 billion in net receipts for the Exchequer in 2022.

https://revenue.ie/en/corporate/press-office/press-releases/2023/pr-042623-annual-report.aspx

Also published (links at the bottom of the page above) are a series of research papers and statistical reports including:

· An analysis of Corporation Tax which profiles 2022 payments and 2021 tax returns, providing considerable detail on what is now the second largest tax in the State.

· An analysis of Income Tax focused on PAYE taxpayers in 2022. The paper exploits the detail generated by real-time reporting systems to provide diverse insights, including on pensions (both contributions and incomes), employment churn, and post-pandemic inequality levels to name a few areas.

· An analysis of VAT which profiles 2022 payments and repayments and provides useful detail on the operation of the tax.

· An analysis of Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) which profiles 2022 payments and reflects the notable changes that have occurred in the vehicle market in recent years due to the impact of Brexit, COVID-19 and climate-focused policies.

Versions of the above papers covering older years can be accessed here: Revenue also published a report on its latest large-scale customer survey, covering SMEs. While its focus is mainly customer service there are also insights related to COVID-19, Brexit and the shadow economy. Finally, Revenue also published its annual illegal tobacco survey results for 2022, the latest statistics on the Debt Warehouse and a statistical overview of PAYE taxpayers who filed Income Tax returns in 2023 Q1 (including a focus on the uptake for the Rent Tax Credit, Remote Working Relief and Health Expenses).

Revenue issues a Statistical Bulletin on a quarterly basis where they advertise new or updated statistical releases published on the Revenue website. Any interested readers can sign up by emailing statistics at revenue dot ie

Irish Economic Association Annual Conference 2023 (Updated)

The 36th Annual Irish Economic Association Conference will be organised by the Economic and Social Research Institute and held in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone on Thursday, May 4th and Friday, May 5th, 2023.

The IEA 2023 will have two presentation types: 1) Full paper presentation; and 2) Flash Talks.

Full conference presentations are 25 mins in length and require the submission of a full draft paper.

Flash Talks are a new initiative aimed at encouraging early stage researchers wishing to get exposure of their research to the wider economics community. This can be early work in progress. The talks will be 5/10 mins each with a maximum of 3 slides. Flash Talk submissions only require an extended abstract (2 pages approx).

The submissions deadline is 23:59 GMT on Friday 24 February 2023.   Submissions can be made via the conference website which is available at:

https://iea2023.exordo.com/

The Conference will feature two international plenary lectures – the Edgeworth Lecture and the ESR Lecture.  A number of prizes will be awarded including the Denis Conniffe prize for the best paper by a young economist, the Brendan Walsh prize for the best paper published in the Economic and Social Review, the Novartis prize for the best health economics paper, and the Irish Society for Women in Economics (ISWE) prize for the best paper presented by a women economist.