Earlier action on interest rates than planned may be warrantedRates may stabilise above pre-pandemic level in coming decade as climate change challenge loomsFri Feb 04 2022 - 12:20
John FitzGerald: Open economy and education key to prosperityFollowing early economic policy missteps, solid decisions have paid off handsomelyFri Jan 28 2022 - 07:30
Fuel tax and incentives the only way to decarbonise air travelNo government wants to turn the clock back to 19th-century living standardsFri Jan 21 2022 - 05:01
Good air connectivity is vital for Irish tradeJohn FitzGerald: Ireland needs to recover air routes mothballed by Covid or risk impact on investmentFri Jan 14 2022 - 05:22
John FitzGerald: The potentially poisoned chalice of fiscal autonomy in Northern IrelandIf the North chose to halve corporation tax the immediate result would be a fall in revenueFri Jan 07 2022 - 05:37
Christmas tree market a seasonal lesson in supply and demandJohn FitzGerald: Predictions of pandemic-related supply crunch prove unfoundedSun Dec 26 2021 - 16:01
John FitzGerald: Economy may overcome Covid by late 2022Once economy reaches capacity, Government’s job will be to contain demandFri Dec 17 2021 - 05:18
John FitzGerald: Economic fallout of Anglo-Irish Treaty was not all badDespite scant attention to finance, fledgling State secured two great deals with LondonFri Dec 10 2021 - 05:42
Reforming how we pay for electricity in a renewables worldFixed-charged billing makes sense but provision needs to be made for less well offFri Dec 03 2021 - 09:49
John FitzGerald: The North is losing a third of young graduates – this needs to stopDifference between migration pattern North and South related to how both economies performFri Nov 26 2021 - 05:40
Covid will get blame instead of Brexit for sluggish UK economyTriggering article 16 over NI protocol would likely choke back UK growth even furtherFri Nov 19 2021 - 05:13
John FitzGerald: Forestry and timber houses are the way forwardState needs to look to trees and their rich capacity to offset fossil fuel emissionsFri Nov 12 2021 - 05:43
John FitzGerald: The longer rent control goes on the more difficult it will be to unwindRent control risks inhibiting housing supply over the long termFri Nov 05 2021 - 05:05
John FitzGerald: Climate change and its macroeconomic challengesKey work falls to individuals and companies but State must carry bulk of financial burdenFri Oct 29 2021 - 05:30
John FitzGerald: We need to prepare now for future natural disastersWith extreme events predicted to become more frequent we need to build up responsesFri Oct 22 2021 - 05:42
John FitzGerald: Giveaway budget puts off day of reckoningIf our economy continues on its present course, it will reach capacity next yearFri Oct 15 2021 - 05:36
Making sure the investment in the National Development Plan is worth itGetting value for money from NDP projects requires regular assessment and flexibilityFri Oct 08 2021 - 05:21
John FitzGerald: To be carbon-free by 2050 this budget must raise taxes on polluting fuelsBudget is key policy tool to drive emissions reduction across a range of sectorsThu Oct 07 2021 - 09:00
Financial engineering can be damaging to public and private sectorsCapital structure of State-owned utilities is important if they are to expand vital servicesFri Sept 24 2021 - 05:16
Students used to head abroad for summer work – Covid took that awayFrom part-time gigs to summer jobs - students’ work patterns have changedFri Sept 17 2021 - 05:30
Housing For All has a lot to commend it but fails to address key issuesJohn FitzGerald: Delivery will be the only true measure of success for new planFri Sept 10 2021 - 05:11
Covid effects apparent in CSO population estimate for 2021Current slowdown in migration flows could have a longer-term influence on behaviourFri Sept 03 2021 - 06:00
John FitzGerald: Action on global warming will come at a costGovernments worldwide need to level with voters on price of averting looming disasterFri Aug 27 2021 - 05:20
Covid vaccine success contains lessons for future pandemicsJohn FitzGerald: Investment in advance manufacturing would enable cheaper and faster responsesFri Aug 20 2021 - 05:49
State plan to borrow more to ease housing crisis looks unwiseTaxes will need to rise to meet challenges of demographics and climate changeFri Jul 30 2021 - 05:25
Confusing economic signals from Ireland’s canary in the mineJohn FitzGerald: Unexplained surplus on balance of payments needs more studyFri Jul 23 2021 - 05:04
Poem of the week: While Walking in the Armstrong WoodsA new work by John FitzGeraldSat Jul 17 2021 - 06:00
John FitzGerald: UK ‘sweet famine’ teaches us sour restriction lessonMoving from universal curbs to those that exclude only some must be carefully handledFri Jul 16 2021 - 05:05
Influence of income taxes on migration patterns still mattersResearch suggests Irish people are happy to work here for up to 10% less than UK pay ratesFri Jul 09 2021 - 05:10
Higher taxes on fossil fuel cars needed to drive change to electric vehiclesJohn FitzGerald: Adopting Norway’s model could help drive climate change strategyFri Jul 02 2021 - 05:05
John FitzGerald: Fears of surge in Irish house prices over next 18 monthsGovernment should stop throwing petrol on the flames by giving more money to buyersFri Jun 25 2021 - 05:32
Ireland must be part of the solution, not the problem when it comes to global taxBeing seen as a tax haven has been damaging to Ireland’s reputationFri Jun 18 2021 - 05:15
John FitzGerald: EMU a successful work in progressPolicy gaps remain, including weak systems for co-ordinated fiscal response to any crisisFri Jun 11 2021 - 05:30
John FitzGerald: Nitty gritty of property tax reformLevies on housing are hard to evade and avoid hitting those not on property ladderFri Jun 04 2021 - 05:01
Government promises mean higher taxes must be on the wayHuge challenges lie ahead if we are to deliver public services as promisedFri May 28 2021 - 05:11
Carbon border tax would be a climate change ‘persuader’Common feature of all proposals is a substantial tax on emissions from fossil fuelsFri May 21 2021 - 05:09
Economics profession needs greater diversity to enhance innovative thinkingStateside dominance poses a risk that US perspectives prevail in academic literatureFri May 14 2021 - 05:50
EU emissions scheme trumps individual state action on climate changeRevenue in any EU-wide permit scheme ought to accrue to national governmentsFri May 07 2021 - 05:04
John FitzGerald: Post-lockdown lessons from years after WWIIThere was a spending splurge after 1945 as people purchased clothes and travelledFri Apr 30 2021 - 05:18
Pandemic proves ‘ourselves alone’ approach to pharma will not workJohn FitzGerald: Integrated nature of drug sector’s supply chains cannot be unwoundFri Apr 23 2021 - 05:05
John FitzGerald: Corporation tax changes may pack more punch than CovidShift in Biden policy on offshore firms could be minor gain for US but huge hit for IrelandFri Apr 16 2021 - 05:40
Graduates now earn more in Ireland than in UK, but Germany tops bothJohn FitzGerald: Premium for graduates working in Ireland, relative to Britain, varies by sectorFri Apr 09 2021 - 06:05
Where has inflation gone? And should we worry about it coming back?Globalisation and changed economic structures have helped keep inflation under controlFri Apr 02 2021 - 05:03
Spending boom is coming but will not last foreverJohn FitzGerald: Higher taxation will be needed once excess savings are depletedFri Mar 26 2021 - 05:01
John FitzGerald: Working from home may create as many problems as it solvesMove away from remote working will push up housing demand and carbon emissionsFri Mar 19 2021 - 04:50
John FitzGerald: Ireland could end up as roadkill in UK’s game of chicken with EUThe threat of tariffs and border controls on this island hasn’t gone awayFri Mar 12 2021 - 05:20
Job creation is not the be all and end allJohn FitzGerald: The headline number for new positions often greatly exaggerates the benefits to societyFri Mar 05 2021 - 06:00
Ireland’s need to balance the budget books has not gone away, you knowJohn FitzGerald: The more rapid the recovery, the sooner normal fiscal rules applyFri Feb 26 2021 - 06:00
North needs to recognise it can have the best of both worldsJohn FitzGerald: A firm opening a branch in NI would be able to service Britain and the EUFri Feb 19 2021 - 05:45
John Fitzgerald: Learning from life’s natural disruptionsImpact of Covid on education of a generation will be closely studied for yearsFri Feb 12 2021 - 05:07
