by Katrina Yoder Kosovo, a young state with just over a million citizens, has been hoping to move into the arms of the European Union since its birth in February 2008. However, with a weak economy, internal political fragmentation, opposition from Serbia, and five member states of the EU body who do not recognise its independentContinue reading “What is hindering Kosovo’s goal of European Integration?”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Exit Stage Left? What Scope for Progressive Politics against the EU?
Review essay: Costas Lapavitsas (2019) The Left Case Against the EU, Cambridge, UK and Medford, Ma: Polity Press. By Dr Andy Storey “The EU is not a nation state over whose mechanics the Left could give battle… It is a transnational juggernaut geared to neoliberal and hierarchical motion.”[1] This claim, made near the end ofContinue reading “Exit Stage Left? What Scope for Progressive Politics against the EU?”
The EU tackling Climate Change
By Genevieve O’Keeffe Climate change is the most dangerous issue the world is facing and everyone will be affected unless extreme policy changes are made. As it is an issue that will directly or indirectly face all nations, it makes sense that a supranational organization such as the European Union takes an active role inContinue reading “The EU tackling Climate Change”
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”
To tax or not to tax: The relationship between taxation and welfare
As a newly arrived Dane in Ireland, I have found myself highly puzzled by the public resistance and mass demonstrations across the country against the recent introduction of water taxes. The unwillingness to pay for a utility is unfamiliar to Danish citizens, recognising the fact that the provision of clean drinkable water, as well asContinue reading “To tax or not to tax: The relationship between taxation and welfare”
Resilience and EU Foreign Policy: The Promise of Justice?
The appearance of ‘resilience’ as a core leitmotif within the EU Global Strategy (EUGS) has been a significant focus of analytical interest in recent months (Wagner and Anholt 2016; Juncos 2016). Featuring several dozen times within the Union’s strategy statement and frequently linked to the broader concept of ‘principled pragmatism’, the concept has come inContinue reading “Resilience and EU Foreign Policy: The Promise of Justice?”
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