Monthly Archives: May 2012

Immigrants in Ireland: less welcome than ever?

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

In a post last December, I used the European Social Survey to explore some of the determinants of people’s attitudes to immigrant.It used the first 4 waves of the European Social Survey (2002,04,06,08). While I was largely focused on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

On Shavian wit and the conclusions of economists

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

There is a conference on in Dublin at the moment celebrating George Bernard Shaw. As this article notes, Shaw was a great writer and as a Dub, it is fitting that he is remembered here. Aside from his many plays, … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The evidence on fax & sugar taxes

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

On the theme of fiscal instruments for  addressing health problems (i.e. fat & sugar taxes), Lisa Powell and Frank Chaloupka have a very useful summary of the research on this in the Milbank Quarterly in 2009. I don’t think there … Continue reading →

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Fat and sugar taxes: will they solve the problem? UCD seminar on June 8th.

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

Obesity is generally recognized as a major public health problem globally. Ireland is by no means immune to the problem with rising rates of obesity and high rates amongst children. It is a complex multi-factorial problem. Finding effective solutions is … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Policy | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Michael Sandel on market values: some random (but skeptical) thoughts

Posted on May 27, 2012 by

The Irish Times yesterday had an article from their regular columnist Breda O’Brien on the role of markets in education. Based on the column’s headline and past reading,  I wasn’t expecting to agree with much of what she said but … Continue reading →

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Handedness in art: Moonrise Kingdom’s lefty scissors.

Posted on May 27, 2012 by

Readers of this blog will know that I have an interest in handedness , or to give its proper scientific name, laterality since it is not just about hands. And no I am not left-handed: being an economist is sinister … Continue reading →

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So you want a PhD in economics? A wry take

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

h/t (X’X)^-1

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So you want to do a PhD? A handy guide

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Doing a PhD is a big and risky investment with a lot of unknowns (both known and unknown). Dr Anna Zimdars (Kings College London) has put together a very nice guide to many of the key issues which I wish … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Choosing the right college course: a handy tool called CourseHub.ie

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

Deciding whether you want to pursue higher education is an important, life-changing decision. If you do decide to go ahead, you face the daunting task of choosing which course is right for you. In Ireland currently, there are over 1300 … Continue reading →

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A simple alternative to Body Mass Index

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

It is generally believed that there is an alarming increase in overweight and obesity around the world. This has serious implications for people’s health but also health budgets. The health consequences of obesity, like cardio-vascular disease and Type 2 diabetes … Continue reading →

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