Ireland has agreed to produce an indicator of persistent poverty, measuring the proportion of the poulation those living below the poverty line in three of the last four years. These measures have yet to materialise, depriving us of the information that should be used as the primary basis for setting poverty targets and monitoring changes in poverty status.
Among the key findings from the National Social Monitor - European Edition are that quality of housing, the burden of housing costs, financial distress, difficulty in making ends meet and the environment are key issues in Ireland and across the European Union. As we face into European Elections in May these issues are certain to feature strongly.
In this Spring 2019 publication of our National Social Monitor - European Edition, we outline the present situation on a range of policy issues, comparing Ireland and the rest of Europe, that impact on people’s wellbeing and we assess whether policy is addressing the causes of problems or only their symptoms. All these issues have implications for Ireland’s economy and how the market performs. However, they also have implications for the wellbeing of all of Europe’s population and for the EU.
Social Justice Ireland today launches the latest in our European Research Series 'Recovery in Europe: uneven and incomplete' reviewing the social situation in the 28 EU member states and making some proposals and recommendations for a more sustainable and inclusive future. The report analyses performance in areas such as poverty and inequality, employment, access to key public services and taxation. These areas are examined in light of the key social policy responses of the European Union to the crisis including the social investment package.
‘Recovery in Europe: uneven and incomplete’ is the twelfth publication in Social Justice Ireland’s European Research Series. The purpose of our European Research Series is tocontribute to the debate and discussion on policy issues that affect all members of the European Union. To date this research series has produced comprehensive reviews of Ireland’s performance towards its Europe 2020 targets, a comprehensive examination of the impact of policies pursued by the European Union and its members states after the financial crisis of 2008 and an extensive analysis of how European member states have been performing in terms of social and economic targets after the crisis. Some of this research focussed on those countries most affected by the crisis.
Social Justice Ireland is in favour of the indexation of social welfare rates. The correct and most appropriate measure against which to index social welfare rates is earnings. Indexation to other measures such as inflation (or the Consumer Price Index) are inappropriate.
Our paper on Indexation and Social Welfare Rates outlines Social Justice Ireland’s position on indexation, makes proposals regarding maintaining adequate levels of social welfare and index
As long as the National Minimum Wage (NMW) lags so far behind the Living Wage, hundreds of thousands of Irish workers will be forced to do without certain essentials so they can make ends meet. Social Justice Ireland would like to see government commit to a timeframe over which the NMW would move towards the rate of the Living Wage.
In the first quarter of each year the European Commission release its Country Report for Ireland, detailing its review of the current economic situation, Ireland’s progress with country-specific recommendations previously made by the European Commission, and setting out reform priorities for Ireland in the coming year. In our initial response to this year’s report, Social Justice Ireland welcomed the focus on a number of key areas and set out our proposals on how Ireland might respond to the Country Specific Recommendations.
A pattern seems to have emerged in the narrative surrounding Finland's pilot programme: “Basic Income has no positive effect employment take-up”. The reality is somewhat more nuanced.
