Social Justice Ireland is an independent think tank and justice advocacy organisation that seeks to build a just society. We provide independent social analysis and evidence-based policy proposals, with the aim of creating a sustainable future for every member of society and for societies as a whole. In all of this, we focus on human rights and the common good.
The Government has today published its National Reform Programme 2018, as submitted to the European Commission. In informing this process Social Justice Ireland submitted two papers to the Department of An Taoiseach - our comprehensive Europe2020 report and our analysis on the Country Specific Recommendations set out in the 2018 Country Report for Ireland.
Last week (12th April 2018), the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government released its Review of Delivery Costs and Viability for Affordable Residential Developments, which enumerated the many reasons why providing affordable homes was difficult. There are many issues with this report, primarily with the lack of urgency in the Government’s response to this national emergency, however one glaring problem is its viability and affordability model. It is neither viable nor affordable.
Social Justice Ireland, as part of our work with Coalition2030, recently submitted our Sustainable Progress Index to inform its report on Ireland's performance under the Sustainable Development Goals. Our Index monitors Ireland’s performance under each of the 17 SDGs, using data collected on 53 indicators, and ranks that performance against the EU15 countries. We then provide a list of policy recommendations and considerations for Government based on the evidence gathered.
Almost 10,000 people accessed emergency accommodation in February 2018. Research released today by the Central Bank of Ireland suggests that almost 35,000 more are at risk of homelessness through late stage mortgage arrears.
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.
Social Justice Ireland publishes its annual Socio-Economic Review today, and calls for an increase in Ireland's overall tax take of €3bn. This must be the first step on the path to funding a fairer and more equal society. The Government needs to raise additional annual tax revenue far in excess of current levels if we are to acheive this.
Homelessness in Ireland has reached another all-time high. Most shockingly, the increase of 7.5 per cent in a month (more than 700 people) was driven mainly by increased child-homelessness. There are now almost 10,000 homeless people in Ireland. This includes 3,755 children.
The Council of Europe recently passed a resolution in favour of a Universal Basic Income. Social Justice Ireland has long advocated for its introduction into Ireland. It's time has come.
The proportion of people of working age in the regions further away from Dublin that have jobs has fallen by far more than on the eastern side of the country since the financial crisis.
If people in employment can’t be guaranteed a life free from poverty then there is something seriously wrong. The failure to make tax-credits refundable is no longer acceptable. It would make Ireland’s tax system fairer, address part of the working poor problem, and improve the living standards of around a quarter of a million people in Ireland at an affordable cost.
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.
Social Justice Ireland's quarterlyEmployment 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.
Over 100,000 people in employment are at risk of poverty. This shocking figure indicates that the employment system is broken and workers’ rights are not being protected or prioritized by policy makers.
The Government’s new Pensions plan has missed the opportunity to provide a Universal Pension as a basic right to all citizens. It has also failed to address major issues around equity, sustainability and bureaucracy that have underpinned Ireland’s pension system for generations. Read Social Justice Ireland's new report: A Universal State Social Welfare Pension.
Ireland is performing in the bottom half of 15 similar European countries on a range of important UN backed indicators covering Economy, Environment and Society. Measuring Progress: Economy, Society and Environment in Ireland puts Ireland’s overall ranking in the Sustainable Progress Index at 11th out of our peer countries in the EU 15.
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.
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 DiscourseThat We Need.
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.
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.
Social Justice Ireland’s 2016 Social Policy Conference centred around the topic of basic income in Ireland and throughout Europe. It was titled Basic Income: Radical Utopia or Practical Solution? and explored current thinking about basic income in both the global and Irish contexts. This page draws together, in one handy space, all the associated literature and video material from the day.
