Analysis & Comment

With 800,000 in poverty, 700,000 on healthcare waiting lists and 10,000 homeless, its time to tackle Ireland's inequality

17th July 2018

Ireland now has the resources to ensure that inequality can be tackled effectively and the linked social injustices of poverty, waiting lists and homelessness can be addressed.  Priority should be given to reducing poverty, tackling the social housing crisis and reforming the healthcare system in both urban and rural Ireland.  Following on from our annual Sustainable Progress Index, Social Justice Ireland has published a 4-page brief on Ireland’s inability to get to grips with inequality.

Civil Society coalition criticises Ireland's progress on UN sustainable development goals

17th July 2018

Coalition 2030, an alliance of over 100 Irish civil society organisations and networks which includes Social Justice Ireland, has expressed concern that Ireland is falling behind on its commitment to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The coalition outlined its concerns in a report published as the Irish Government prepares to present its first progress report on the SDGs at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday today.

Ireland becomes first country to commit to divesting all fossil fuel investments

13th July 2018

Social Justice Ireland enthusiastically welcomes the news that Ireland will become the first country in the world to divest its sovereign wealth fund of all investments in fossil fuels.

ALONE report calls on the Oireachtas to take action to prevent a housing crisis for older people

13th July 2018

A Report published by ALONE is calling on Government to act now to prevent a worsening housing crisis for older people.http://alone.ie/alone-report-calls-on-the-oireachtas-to-take-action-to-prevent-a-housing-crisis-for-older-people/

‘Radical’ changes needed to finance social housing

10th July 2018

In their report for the Community Foundation of Ireland, The Future of Council Housing, An analysis of the financial sustainability of local authority provided social housing, Prof. Michelle Norris and Dr. Aideen Hayden examine the existing structures for the provision of social housing to low income households and recommends the introduction of a Cost Rental model of social housing provision.

Budget 2019 should set out a pathway for Irish ODA to reach its target

5th July 2018

Ireland’s improving economic situation is an opportunity to recover lost ground in relation to our ODA commitments. Social Justice Ireland strongly urges Government to provide an additional €136m in Budget 2019 and make a commitment to increase the aid budget over the next four years to 0.59 per cent of GNI*.

Rising rents push Living Wage to €11.90 per hour

4th July 2018

The Living Wage for 2018 has been set at €11.90 per hour; an inrease of 20c over the last year. With the cost of living in most other areas falling, this increase is being driven solely by rising accommodation costs, with rent now accounting for half of minimum living costs in Dublin.

Targeted actions required to reduce number of 'low work intensity' households

27th June 2018

The percentage of people in Ireland living in households where no-one is employed, or where there is only marginal attachment to the labour force, is higher than in most of our European peers. But until now, little research has been carried out on why this is the case and what are the barriers to employment faced by people in these ‘low work intensity’ households.

Unbalanced tax system and lack of investment in infrastructure among greatest risks to Ireland – Social Justice Ireland submission on the Draft National Risk Assessment 2018

21st June 2018

Social Justice Ireland submitted to the Department of An Taoiseach on the Draft National Risk Assessment 2018.  In our submission, we urge Government to view the absence of a progressive tax system and lack of infrastructure development as real and immediate risks and to take necessary steps to address them.

MA in Social Justice & Public Policy

20th June 2018

In partnership with Social Justice Ireland, the School of Humanities at Waterford Institute of Technology will offer a new MA in Social Justice and Public Policy from September 2018.

You may view summaries of the preceding 20 posts in the sidebar of this page.

Recent publications

Budget 2019 is a chance to relieve social injustices

5th June 2018

Ireland now has the resources to ensure that Budget 2019 addresses the key challenges and social injustices facing Irish people. Priority should be given to tackling the social housing crisis, reforming the healthcare system and addressing rural and regional challenges with a special focus on resourcing communities.

Watch our Budget Choices 2019 Seminar here

5th June 2018

Watch Social Justice Ireland's Budget Choices Seminar, which was streamed live from Buswells Hotel on Tuesday June 5th.

Dr. Seán Healy, Colette Bennett and Eamon Murphy talk through our budgetary proposals for 2019, including our analysis of the various crises and infrastructural deficits faced by Ireland, and our revenue-raising measures that can help tackle them.

Ireland vs EU28: Our report monitoring Ireland’s progress in achieving the SDGs

24th April 2018

Following up on Social Justice Ireland’s Sustainable Progress Index, we publish our report monitoring Ireland’s progress towards each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and call on Government to ensure that achieving the SDGs is a key consideration for future policy-making, to identify to which SDG each new policy relates and document how that policy will support Ireland to achieve its goals.

Socio Economic Review 2018

3rd April 2018

Social Justice Ireland’s annual Socio-Economic Review is entitled Social Justice Matters. This book is about charting a course to a better Ireland. At the foundation of that is how we raise taxes and how much tax we raise.

Quarterly Employment Monitor - March 2018

26th March 2018

Social Justice Ireland's quarterly Employment Monitor, published March 2017, may be accessed here. It deals with the issues of regional balance in employment generation, with a particular focus on the labour market participation rate.

Recent podcasts/videos

Watch our Budget Choices 2019 Seminar here

5th June 2018

Watch Social Justice Ireland's Budget Choices Seminar, which was streamed live from Buswells Hotel on Tuesday June 5th.

Dr. Seán Healy, Colette Bennett and Eamon Murphy talk through our budgetary proposals for 2019, including our analysis of the various crises and infrastructural deficits faced by Ireland, and our revenue-raising measures that can help tackle them.

Global Justice Day Conference

20th February 2018

Social Justice Ireland marks UN World Day of Social Justice each year with a seminar looking at Ireland's progress to date in meeting our responsibilities under the Global Goals. You can view video footage of the seminar here.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins addresses our Social Policy Conference

23rd November 2017

Social Justice Ireland were honoured to have President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins deliver the key note address at our 30th Annual Social Policy Conference. Click here to watch the video of his presentation, or download his paper, entitled On The Discourse That We Need.

See the Videos and Papers from our 30th Annual Social Policy Conference

21st November 2017

This year's conference featured an excellent and diverse line-up of speakers from Spain, Italy, Germany, the USA, and Ireland. The key note address was delivered by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins. Click in to download papers from the conference, watch the presentations, see our handy summary graphics, or download the entire conference booklet for free.

Budget 2018 Analysis and Critique

10th October 2017

Watch Social Justice Ireland's Budget Response Seminar from the morning after Budget 2018 was announced, and download our Analysis and Critique of Budget 2018, which provides a comprehensive anaylsis including in areas such as taxation, social protection, health, education, employment, distributional impact, housing and ODA.