http://hdl.handle.net/2262/62038 Fri, 03 Nov 2017 02:57:47 GMT 2017-11-03T02:57:47Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58566 Identifying economically vulnerable groups as the economic crisis emerged Whelan, Christopher T.; Maitre, Bertrand A frequent refrain during recent debates on welfare cuts and tax increases has related to the need to ?protect the vulnerable?. However, it is far from clear that a consensus exists on which individuals or groups are to be included under this heading with a consequent lack of clarity for the policy implications of pursuing this goal. In this paper, operating with a conception of social exclusion that incorporates notions of dynamics and multidimensionality, we make use of EUSILC 2008 data for Ireland to clarify the distinction between income poverty and economic vulnerability. We then proceed to consider the relationship between these outcomes and multiple deprivation, financial pressures and perceptions of recent and future economic prospects. Our analysis is then extended to compare patterns of risk for poverty and vulnerability in relation to key socio-economic groups. Finally, we will consider the relationship between poverty and vulnerability and the distribution of welfare dependence. Our analysis suggests that the vulnerable but non-poor group may need to be a key focus of policy attention in the future. Policy paper presented at a symposium on ?The Crisis, Welfare State Retrenchment and Social Cohesion: Lessons from Social Science? Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58566 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58565 The European context of Ireland?s economic crisis Dellepiane Avellaneda, Sebastian; Hardiman, Niamh The current economic crisis has hit all European countries hard, but some are more severely affected than others. The problems manifest in European peripheral countries that are also members of the Eurozone, that is, Ireland, Spain, and Greece, have roots in domestic policy mistakes. However, the European context of these policy profiles also needs to be taken into account. The creation of the Euro initially yielded large credibility gains for the weaker economies, extending low interest rates across the Eurozone. But it also introduced a set of perverse incentives toward fiscal expansion which were supposed to be managed at domestic level. Weak European coordinating capacity meant there were few effective external disciplines on national decision making. The sanctions built into the Stability and Growth Pact proved more controversial and, therefore, less constraining than originally envisaged. The problems accumulating in the weaker economies made them particularly exposed to crisis when the downturn came. The crisis is not merely one of peripheral economies? policy errors, but extends to the design of European decision making and the management of monetary union, and to the underlying structural differences in relative trade capabilities between Eurozone member states. These issues are explored with reference to the Irish case: the crisis of the Irish and other peripheral economies points to a number of unresolved difficulties at the heart of European politics. Policy paper presented at a symposium on ?The Crisis, Welfare State Retrenchment and Social Cohesion: Lessons from Social Science? Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58565 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58564 Inequality and the crisis: the distributional impact of tax increases and welfare and public sector pay cuts Callan, Tim; Nolan, Brian; Keane, Claire; Walsh, John R. The economic crisis impacts directly on the distribution of income via unemployment and private sector wages, but the way policy responds in seeking to control soaring fiscal deficits is also central to its distributional consequences. Having sketched out the background in terms of inequality trends during Ireland?s boom and the channels through which the recession affects different parts of the income distribution, this paper investigates the distributional impact of the government?s policy response with respect to direct tax, social welfare and public sector pay using the SWITCH tax-benefit model. This provides empirical evidence relevant to future policy choices as efforts to reduce the fiscal deficit continue. Policy paper presented at a symposium on ?The Crisis, Welfare State Retrenchment and Social Cohesion: Lessons from Social Science? Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58564 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58563 Mandatory minimum sentencing, drug purity and overdose rates Davies, Ronald B. As of 1987, the US?s Anti-Drug Abuse Act (ADAA) has imposed mandatory minimum sentences for drug traffickers based on the quantity of the drug involved irrespective of purity. Using the STRIDE dataset and a differences-in-differences approach, I find that this led to increases in cocaine and heroin purity of 52 per cent and 27 per cent respectively. It also affected the distribution of purity around its mean. Using data on emergency room visits, I show that changes in the distribution of purity had significant impacts on such visits. These results provide insights useful when considering Ireland?s drug policies which include the use of mandatory minimum sentences. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2262/58563 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z