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.

Future scenarios for emissions need continual adjustment

Abstract: and policy-driven intensity improvements. Given recent trends, it is hard to see how, without a massive increase in investment, the requisite number of relevant technologies will be mature and available when we need them. SIR — Pielke et al. show that the 2000 Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) reflects unrealistic progress on both the supply and demand sides of the energy sector. These unduly optimistic baselines cause serious underestimation of the costs of policy-induced mitigation required to achieve a given stabilization level. This is well known among experts but perhaps not to the public, which may explain why some politicians overstate the impact of their (plans for) climate policy, and why others argue incorrectly that 'available' off-the-shelf technologies can reduce emissions at very little or no cost. The numbers presented by Pielke et al. are revealing, but they divert attention from a more serious problem underlying the SRES approach to calculating mitigation costs: a failure to incorporate the dynamic nature of the decision problem into climate-policy analysis. Until we can keep adjusting the analysis by continually incorporating uncertainty, correction and learning, we shall continue to offer policy-makers an incomplete guide to decision-making. The focus of policy analysis should not be on what to do over the next 100 years, but on what to do today in the face of many important long-term uncertainties. The minute details of any particular scenario for 2100 are then not that important. This can be achieved through an iterative risk-management approach in which uncertain long-term goals are used to develop short-term emission targets. As new information arises, emission scenarios, long-term goals and short-term targets are adjusted as necessary. Analyses would be conducted periodically (every 5–10 years), making it easier to distinguish autonomous trends from policy-induced developments — a major concern of Pielke and colleagues. If actual emissions are carefully monitored and analysed, the true efficacy and costs of past policies would be revealed and estimates of the impact of future policy interventions would be less uncertain. Such an approach would incorporate recent actions by developed and developing countries. In an 'act then learn' framework, climate policy is altered in response to how businesses change their behaviour in reaction to existing climate policies and in anticipation of future ones. This differs from SRES-like analyses, which ignore the dynamic nature of the decision process and opportunities for mid-course corrections as they compare scenarios without policy with …

Investment in Knowledge‐Based Capital and Productivity: Firm‐Level Evidence from a Small Open Economy

Abstract: This paper examines the responsiveness of firm productivity to investment in knowledge-based capital (KBC) including a range of intangible assets such as research and development (R&D), intellectual property assets, computer software, organizational, and branding capital. A dynamic econometric model is estimated with micro-data from Ireland over the period 2006–2012. Ceteris paribus, the estimated average elasticity of productivity with respect to investment in KBC per employee is 0.3. In comparison to previous empirical studies, this paper goes beyond the representative firm approach and accounts for the heterogeneous behavior of firms which differ by ownership, size, export participation, and sector of activity. Further, the analysis finds that investing simultaneously in multiple KBC assets has complementary as well as substitution effects on firm productivity, with different interdependence patterns for specific investment combinations across groups of firms and sectors.

Barriers to School Involvement

Abstract: As is evident from the contributions throughout this book, Ireland’s social fabric has changed significantly in recent decades. While there has always been some degree of ethnic diversity in Ireland, since 2004 Irish immigration reform legislation opened the doors to many more ethnic minority families whose cultures, mother tongues and beliefs were vastly different from the majority culture. The immigrant and ethnic minority population arriving in Ireland has been diverse, with large groups arriving from the UK, Africa, Eastern Europe and elsewhere, resulting in over hundred different languages being spoken in the country. The economic situation of the new arrivals has also been the subject of a number of studies – while previous research has shown that many immigrants have high levels of education, there is now considerable evidence of immigrants not working in jobs commensurate with their skills in Ireland. It is also important to note here that there are no well-established ethnic communities or ethnic ‘enclaves’ in Ireland, hence the majority of the new arrivals have needed to adjust to the new society, largely without the help of established social networks.

Public Health Genomics: the essential part for good governance in public health

Abstract: In view of the importance of the report of the German Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina 2015), discussion on the health impact of Omics was invited (Kunzli 2015). We would like to expand the view previously published in this journal (Razum et al. 2015). Modern accounts of what now constitutes public health have broadened the meaning of the latter, which has come to mean any form of collective action that aims to improve the health of populations (Porter 1998). In that sense, categories, such as medicine, epidemiology and new technologies (to name a few), are species concepts, subjected to a wider genus proximum, public health. In this context, the fascinating field of Omics (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, etc.) and Big Data, with its various applications, has already started to revolutionize the landscape of public health, since the beginning of the 21st century (Brand et al. 2008). However, individual scholars and academic institutes have failed to catch sight of the current successes of Omics and Big Data, recognize their entire societal potential and envisage the future (Bayer and Galea 2015; Leopoldina 2015). Moreover, misconceptions of the health impact of Omics have misled scholars and part of the public to doubt their effectiveness and adopt opinions that hinder the implementation of Omics in health systems. We, on the other hand, argue that Omics are now an organic part of good governance in public health. The idea of modern public health without Omics is simply inconceivable! The reasons for this rely on arguments based on both scientific and societal values. Going beyond phenotypes, Omics allow for the detection of Mendelian diseases almost to 100 %. And not only that! Identification of resilient individuals opens new highways towards elucidation of genetic disorders and new treatment approaches (Chen et al. 2016). Newborn screening programs are a reality, a current success of Omics, which allows for timely diagnosis even before clinical presentation and enables improved life- and healthspan for affected children. Women with BRCA1 mutations, identified through genetic testing and offered intensive preventive options, are also a reality. Yes, it has not been easy for multifactorial or complex diseases, but with the continued thrust, it will be achievable in the foreseeable future. There are already about 1000 genetic tests for multifactorial disorders and hundreds more are currently being tested, with new approaches, such as the diseasome, facilitating the conceptualization of the genome-disease interactions. For the patients with potentially life threatening multifactorial disorders, such as cardiac channelopathies and cardiomyopathies, timely diagnosis and treatment options, are already becoming a reality. Apart from diagnosis, Omics have also been changing the way we approach treatment. An ever growing list of genetic polymorphisms is now used as a basis for predicting response to more than 100 drugs. Pharmacogenomics allow for the identification of patients most likely to respond to a certain treatment, enable tailoring of drug dosage and minimize adverse drug reactions. The importance of pharmacogenomics becomes even more evident if we take into account that 38–75 % of patients are estimated to be unresponsive to drugs (Lehrach 2015). A third pillar of Omics applications is related to their ability to fully exploit the potential of traditional public health interventions. Although a relatively new approach, genetic profiling enables population stratification as to their genetic predisposition and guides prevention programs accordingly, thus rendering them more effective in terms of cost and benefit. In an uncertain global economic landscape, cost effectiveness of any public health intervention is of major importance and Omics can help us both optimize the outcome and reduce the costs of our interventions. Effective screening and prevention programs, early diagnosis, proper treatment and minimization of costs enabled by Omics are obvious benefits for both patients and health care systems. Is that not, after all, the essence of successful public health programs? The contribution of Omics to public health transcends conventional academic and industrial barriers and transforms public health in ways that traditional approaches simply cannot. Apart from public health interventions, we also need effective drugs in our armamentarium. In an era when the rate of new drug approvals stagnates, drug development has moved from the classical clinical development approach of the many, sequential, distinct phases, to a more integrative approach with adaptive clinical trial designs. This is a pure effect of the implementation of Omics approaches and has already started delivering its first results (Schulthess et al. 2015). Furthermore, and perhaps even more excitingly, knowledge in the form of integrated and socially meaningful Omic data has increasingly been conceptualized as public good. Sharing of Omic data from clinical trials enhances public confidence in clinical trials results and fosters the innovation capability of the biopharmaceutical industry, thus leading to the production of targeted drugs that allow for the realization of personalized medicine. However, the social and economic externalities of Omics do not stop here. Health Data Cooperatives enabled by Omics, such as MIDATA.coop, empower citizens to the benefit of individuals, healthcare systems and the society (Hafen et al. 2014). From the above, it is obvious that we are in the middle of a major paradigm shift that leads us towards a ‘systems thinking’ as to disease etiology, prevention and treatment (Brand 2011). However, we are confronted with challenges that need to be addressed. It is clear that we will have to go through a period of ‘normal science’ (in the Kuhnian sense) (Kuhn 1962) which will shed light on the constant interactions between the genome and the phenome (Houle et al. 2010). Moreover, the impact of Omics on public health cannot be fully realized, unless their implementation and integration in health care systems are fully deployed. A critical mass has to be reached… Effective implementation of Omics-based technologies requires coordinated actions and appropriate modifications of public health and health governance systems at all levels (Brand et al. 2012). Starting in Germany and followed by other European Member States, significant work towards this direction has been done by the Public Health Genomics European Network (PHGEN) (http://www.phgen.eu) and guidelines have been developed to ensure the maximum impact on health and economic growth in the health sector. It is incontrovertible that the traditional approaches based on epidemiology, such as tobacco control, have conferred significant advantages in the health of populations. However, they seem to have reached their capacity as to the added value they can confer, at least to parts of the population which have already benefited from such interventions (e.g., people who have quitted smoking). On the other hand, Omics have been providing sound evidence of their potential, as an essential part of good governance, to radically transform the landscape in public health. Unless the skepticism of traditional public health programs towards Omics can present us a sustainable alternative to Omics, there is no other way, beneficial to the population, for them, but to welcome new partners and new approaches to common scopes. The high relevance of the field of Omics for public health and health policy has recently also been expressed by European policymakers. In the Council conclusions on personalized medicine for patients, which has been developed under the Luxembourg Presidency in 2015 (Council 2015), the step-by-step implementation of Public Health Genomics, both at European Union and national level, is encouraged. Public Health Genomics offers a debate platform, where a productive ‘innovation diplomacy’ can find place—we welcome constructive contributions!

Between ethos and practice: Are Ireland's new multi-denominational primary schools equal and inclusive?

Abstract: This article explores the ethos of multi-denominational primary schools in the context of increasing cultural and religious diversity in the Republic of Ireland. In particular, it investigates how ...