Economic and Social Research Institute

About: Economic and Social Research Institute is a nonprofit organization based out in Dublin, Ireland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & European union. The organization has 425 authors who have published 1530 publications receiving 41567 citations.

User cost of debt-financed capital in Irish manufacturing industry: 1985-2011

Abstract: This paper provides estimates of the cost of debt-financed capital to Irish manufacturing industry over the period 1985 to 2011. The estimates are provided for two types of capital assets, machinery and equipment and industrial buildings. They also incorporate policy interventions aimed at influencing investment behaviour of manufacturing firms in Ireland. The results show that large capital gains recorded during the Celtic Tiger period created a downward distortion in the user cost of investing in industrial buildings. On average, policy interventions reduced the cost of capital compared to the cost of capital in the absence of these interventions, and the tax-related interventions were more favourable in the case of industrial building than for machinery and equipment.

Implications of Income Pooling and Household Decision-making for the Measurement of Poverty and Deprivation: An Analysis of the SILC 2010 Special Module for Ireland

Abstract: A core assumption in conventional poverty measurement is that income is shared within households to the benefit of all household members. This technical paper draws on the 2010 Irish SILC module to examine aspects of the household’s financial regime, including which household members receive income, the extent to which income is contributed for the benefit of other household members and responsibility for decision-making. The paper finds only small differences in income pooling by gender, but large differences by the person’s position in the household. In terms of decision-making, we find that most couples share responsibility for decisions. Among the findings regarding the consequences of household financial regime (with income and other characteristics controlled) were the beneficial impact of having income from work and of shared responsibility for decisions. Contrary to expectations, variations in the proportion of income contributed for the benefit of other household members did not have the anticipated impact on household and individual deprivation. The paper concludes by pointing to some implications for the measurement of poverty.

Poverty, economic stress and quality of life: lessons from the Irish case

Abstract: The issue of multidimensionality is well established in poverty research, and it is generally recognised that income alone is inadequate as a measure of social inclusion or quality of life (QoL). However, social policy still tends to address the different dimensions of QoL—such as poverty, health, housing and social cohesion—in isolation. This raises the question of the variation across dimensions or groups in the extent of multidimensionality. For instance, are housing or health problems experienced by people with a range of other QoL problems, or do they tend to occur in isolation? Does this differ between social risk groups, such as lone parents, older adults or children? The answers have implications for the service needs of people with health problems or with inadequate housing. We address these issues in this paper, analysing the 2013 quality of life module on the EU-SILC data for Ireland and adapting the adjusted headcount ratio methodology of Alkire and Foster to address the issue of multidimensionality.