World Politics

Homo Economicus

Modern economics often seems wilfully ignorant of the moral context its founder, Adam Smith, brought to the discipline. Smith fully understood the difference between a…

Irish Politics

Knock, knock

Politicians sometimes consider that facing up to the consequences of their mistakes entitles them to be regarded as brave. But in the case of the…

World Politics

Follow the Money

We would like to think that finance is the handmaiden of politics and can be bent to the will of benign policy-makers. But forces inherent…

Irish Politics

Speaking for Ireland

For a state embroiled in conflict, the crucial time for reflection on future possibilities is not when peace has arrived but during the final stages…

World Politics

Capitalism’s Futures

Despite a long period of what has seemed to be constant crisis, predictions of the death of capitalism may still be off the mark. This…

Irish Art / Culture

A Voice Seldom Heard

There are two ways of responding to perceived injustice: you can complain, or you can get out. If you are loyal to the organisation you…

Irish Politics

Budget Ritual and Reality

The question we will face in the coming years is whether we can trust governments in Ireland to take wise budgetary decisions that are in…

Irish Politics

Thinking Deep

An academic discipline based on idealised economic systems which permit the application of a great deal of theoretical sophistication has produced cohorts of graduates with…

Science / Human Sciences

THINKING SHORT

A fixation on short term gain led to our economic collapse. Now it's time to focus on the real economy, where the fundamentals are still…

Small State, Big World