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.

Book reviews : Kempson, Elaine (1996) Life on a Low Income. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation:

Abstract: wealth in Britain initiated and financed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a charitable trust. The Foundation had already published a two-volume report on its Inquiry into Income and Wealth, the first volume being the report of its Inquiry Group of the ’great and the good’, chaired by Sir Peter Barclay (1994), and a second volume edited by John Hills (1995) summarizing the evidence on which the Group based its report. The evidence comprised for the most part careful analysis of statistics on the distribution of income and wealth. This new report is very different, and serves as an extremely valuable complement to that quantitative research. In it, Elaine Kempson draws together the findings of 31 qualitative studies of people living in or on the margins of poverty. In all, in-depth interviews were carried out with about 2100 people, most of whom were either depending on social security or in lowpaid jobs. The study uses this material to bring out, in a way that statistical analysis cannot, the stark realities of what it means to be living on a low income in contemporary Britain, how people cope and how policy has affected them. The study aims to allow low-income families to speak for themselves, and does so very effectively. As the author recognizes, critics can always claim that case studies and quotations have been chosen selectively to present the worst possible picture, but in this case 31 different research teams were involved and their individual reports serve to corroborate one another. Another key strength of the book is the structure within which the content of these ’testimonies’, as it were, is presented. Broad conclusions are drawn from the range of responses about, for example, approaches to

What is the impact of rerouting a cancer diagnosis from emergency presentation to GP referral on resource use and survival? Evidence from a population-based study

Abstract: Studies on alternative routes to diagnosis stimulated successful policy interventions reducing the number of emergency diagnoses and associated mortality risk. A dearth of evidence on the costs of such interventions might prevent new policies from achieving more ambitious targets. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on the population of colorectal (88,051), breast (90,387), prostate (96,219), and lung (97,696) cancer patients diagnosed after a GP referral or an emergency presentation and reported in the Cancer Registry of England. Resource use and survival were compared 1 year before and 5 years after diagnosis (3 years for lung), including the costs of GP referrals not converted into a positive diagnosis. Risk-adjusted statistical models were used to calculate the effect of rerouting patient’ diagnoses from emergency presentation to GP referral. Rerouting a cancer diagnosis results in a relatively small additional costs to the National Health System against additional years of life saved to the patient. The cost per year of life saved is £6456 in colorectal, £1057 in breast, −£662 in prostate (savings), and £819 in lung cancer. Reducing the overall prevalence of emergency presentations to the level achieved by the 20% of Clinical Commissioning Groups with the lowest prevalence would result in £11,481,948 against 1863 years of life saved for Colorectal, £847,750 against 889 years for breast, −£943,434 (cost savings) against 1195 years for prostate, and £609,938 against 1011 years for lung cancer. Redirecting diagnoses from emergency presentation to GP referral appears an achievable target that can produce large benefits to patients against modest additional costs to the National Health System.

Soaring in the Best of Times

Abstract: How are we to determine whether a society is developing for the better or worse? This question has occupied philosophers and social scientists for centuries and will presumably do so for centuries to come. The authors of this book approach it with the help of a host of observations from social studies in order to try to determine whether Ireland has become not only a richer but also a better society to live in. Here I will discuss some of the issues that are central to attempts to assess the qualitative aspects of the development of a society, then look at the results in the book from this perspective, and end with a few personal reflections.

Choice experiment assessment of anglers' salmonid conservation preferences.

Abstract: Wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout are in danger in several fisheries of the northern hemisphere due to anthropic activities. The pressures on fish stocks include excessive commercial and recreational harvests, as well as habitat depletion. In this paper, we present a choice experiment assessment of recreational anglers’ preferences for conservation options, aiming to reduce harvest and improve ecosystem quality of salmon fisheries using Ireland as a case study. Data were collected by online survey and analysed with a latent class logit model. Results indicate two groups of anglers with diverging opinions and preferences on salmon conservation priorities, which will likely be reflected in different levels of acceptance of conservation initiatives.