Monthly Archives: March 2017

Are young people turning away from democracy?

Richard O’Neill is a UCD Master of Public Policy student. Here he questions recent claims about the rise of anti-democratic sentiment among millennials, but warns that there is no room for complacency in the defence of democratic values. Millennials get a bad rap. In the last year we’ve been blamed for ruining the American wine industry,Continue reading “Are young people turning away from democracy?”

Public Integrity and Trust in Europe

Marie-Therese Culligan is a UCD Master of Public Policy student. Here she assesses the report on Public Integrity and Trust in Europe, prepared by the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building (ERCAS), Hertie School of Governance, Berlin 2015. Principal Investigator: Prof. Alina Mungiu-Pippidi. This report was commissioned by the European Commission during the Dutch Presidency of the EU in the first half ofContinue reading “Public Integrity and Trust in Europe”

Information is power: tackling corporate tax avoidance

Michael McCarthy Flynn is a UCD Master of Public Policy student. He points out the significant advantages corporate interests currently enjoy in shielding income from effective taxation in any jurisdiction, and the key role of effective international coordination of tax policy not only in securing tax justice but in addressing poverty and meeting global development goadls/ Corporate taxContinue reading “Information is power: tackling corporate tax avoidance”

Public interest and private gain in pharmaceutical regulation

Jess Ennis is a UCD Master of Public Policy student. She considers the conflicts over funding and availability of critical medications – specifically Orkambi for cystic fibrosis sufferers. In July 2015, the FDA approved the combination drug Lumacaftor/ Ivacaftor (Orkambi) which treats the underlying cause of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) for patients with two copies ofContinue reading “Public interest and private gain in pharmaceutical regulation”

How the Netherlands became a country of cyclists, and why the UK failed

Emil Törnsten is a Swedish Erasmus student of urban planning. In this blog for POL40160 Comparative Public Policy, he compares the dramatically different role of cycling in urban transport policy in the Netherlands and the UK – and the policy lessons to be learned. Cycling is considered an important tool in mitigating climate change, local pollution, congestion and lifestyle-related healthContinue reading “How the Netherlands became a country of cyclists, and why the UK failed”

Wonky policy or sweetly inspired? Why ‘sugar taxes’ won’t solve our growing problem with obesity

Emer Scott asks how effective a levy on soft drinks is likely to be in tackling obesity. Emer is a student on the UCD Master of Public Policy programme. Waistlines in Britain and Ireland have thickened in the last 20 years, and it’s not just our scales that are groaning under the burden of rising obesity. Health servicesContinue reading “Wonky policy or sweetly inspired? Why ‘sugar taxes’ won’t solve our growing problem with obesity”