Social Justice Matters

230. SJI Interviews Ep.137: Wealth Taxes with Dr Tom McDonnell, NERI

Tom McDonnell is co-director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute and is based in the Dublin office. In addition to managing staff in the Dublin office he has co-responsibility for the NERI's research programme and for its strategic direction. He is also responsible for, among other things, the NERI's analysis of the Republic of Ireland economy including risks, trends and forecasts. He specialises in economic growth, economics of innovation, Irish and European economies, and fiscal policy. He previously worked as an economist at TASC and before that was a lecturer in economics at NUI Galway and at DCU. He has also taught at Maynooth University (MU) and is currently an occasional staff member at MU. 

Tom talks us through the who, what, why, when and where of a wealth tax for Ireland.

Designing a tax on household wealth

Reforming Inheritance Tax

Confronting Wealth Inequality in Ireland Report

 

229. SJI Seminars Ep.64: Launch presentation of Social Justice Matters: a 2026 guide to a fairer Irish Society

We launched our socio-economic review for 2026 on Monday, 27th April 2026. This socio-economic review for 2026 presents ideas and proposals which would enable Ireland to respond to current challenges whilst managing change successfully, with the ambition to achieve a fairer, more just society.  At a time of global turmoil and conflict, Ireland faces the challenge of mitigating the impact of an energy price crisis for vulnerable households and preparing for the potential impact of a prolonged energy shock.  At the same time, Government must address the ongoing problems of how to deliver housing, healthcare and other vital services to everyone including those fleeing war; how to address persistently high levels of poverty and social exclusion; and how to meet our climate targets, adapt to coming changes whilst protecting those most impacted.   

In this episode, you can listen back to the presentations from this launch. The full publication is also available to download from our website here.

228. SJI Interviews Ep.136: Alternatives to Violence Project Ireland with Lisa Oelschlegel and Robert Cullen

Lisa Oelschlegel is the Coordinator of the Alternatives to Violence Project in Ireland, where she supports volunteers delivering workshops in Irish prisons on conflict transformation and nonviolent approaches. She has a background in peace and conflict studies and psychology, and brings over ten years of experience working across international development cooperation, local NGOs, and the academic sector across Europe and Latin America, with a focus on mental health and psychosocial support, migration, gender, inclusion, and diversity. Her work centres on supporting inclusive, community-led approaches to social change.

Robert Cullen is a past participant of the AVP Project. He is currently studying towards an MA in Criminology at UCC and is the project lead for Success Stories in Ireland. 

They chat with Susanne Rogers about the work of AVP and the transformative impact it has on individuals and communities. They discuss the systemic and individual responses to how masculinity is to be expressed, how patriarchy and violence interact and how alternatives can be found. 

We also touch on Robert's separate work with Success Stories and recent research with the IPRT.  

The Alternatives to Violence Project AVP Ireland

Robert was peer researcher on this project with the Irish Penal Reform Trust: From Punishment to Prevention: Poverty, Inequality and Pathways into the Irish Criminal Justice System

 

 

 

227. SJI Seminars Ep.63: Jeremy Moss on Benefit-Sharing in the Just Climate Transition

Jeremy Moss is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of New South Wales. He is the recipient of the Eureka Prize for Ethics and the Australasia Association of Philosophy Media Prize. He is the author or several books on climate change including: Carbon Justice: the Scandal of Australia’s Biggest Contribution to Climate Change; Climate Justice Beyond the State (with Lachlan Umbers), Climate Change and Justice (Cambridge University Press). His current projects include: ‘A Just Climate Transition’ (ARC Linkage grant) and ‘Dealing with Climate Disasters’ (ARC Discovery Project).

A Just Climate Transition has the potential to provide significant non-climate related benefits in the form of clean energy, green jobs, better transport, improved health and urban environments or even making society a more equal or democratic place. The creation of so many potential benefits should command just as much attention as avoiding the harms associated with climate change. But the pursuit of such benefits raises two interesting questions. The first is to what degree should transition policies - as a matter of justice - aim at creating non-climate benefits, especially where there are extra costs involved? The second important question is how do we distribute whatever benefits are created? In some cases, there is nothing wrong with letting the benefits fall ‘where they may’ as it were, as is the case with the elimination of air pollution from fossil fuels. But in other instances benefits will be created but how they are distributed will vary greatly, with the potential for unfair distribution.

Social Justice Ireland held a webinar for policy makes and in his talk, Jeremy considers the arguments for the role and scope of non-climate benefits, their justification and put forward a framework that might guide their distribution.

226. SJI Interviews Ep.135: Gillian Phelan, Central Bank of Ireland on the Digital Euro

Gillian Phelan is Head of Division, Digital Euro Unit at the Central Bank of Ireland. She chats with Susanne Rogers, explaining what the digital euro is and what it will mean for consumers in Ireland. 

225. SJI Seminars Ep.62: Prof. Charles M.A. Clark, St. John’s University on GDP, Wellbeing and Progress

Prof. Charles M.A. Clark, St. John’s University, New York presents his section on GDP, Wellbeing and Progress from our Annual Sustainable Progress Index 2026

224. SJI Interviews Ep.134: Renting on the Island of Ireland with Stephen Morrison, Housing Rights and Gareth Redmond, Threshold

Stephen Morrison, Policy Lead with Housing Rights  and Gareth Redmond, Research and Policy Officer with Threshold

chat with Susanne Rogers about their joint all-island study of the private rental sector Renting on the Island of Ireland: An All-Island Survey of Private Rented Sector Tenants

223. SJI Seminars Ep.61: Labour market outcomes of third level graduates in high-income EU members. Is Father’s education important? with Ciarán Nugent

Our 2024 Annual Social Policy Conference was on the theme of ' Managing Change to Build a Just Society'. Ireland is going through several major transitions, each of which is only going to deepen with time. While much is changing, many of the problems facing our society are long-standing: inequality, poverty, and under-investment in our social infrastructure remain major challenges. Although the economy in Ireland has experienced record growth since the pandemic, infrastructure and services in areas such as housing, healthcare and public transport are far below the levels and standards that would be expected in a normally functioning society.

Ciarán Nugent is an Economist at the Nevin Economic Research Institute. 

Ciarán presented his paper at our 2024 Annual Social Policy Conference. 

All videos, papers and presentations for the 2024 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.

 

222. SJI Interviews Ep.133: Ber Grogan and Carol Baumann, Simon Communities Of Ireland on Older Adult Homelessness in Ireland

Ber Grogan, Executive Director of the Simon Communities of Ireland and Carol Baumann, CEO of Galway Simon Community talk through their recent report : Older Adult Homelessness in Ireland

Information on Simon Communities across Ireland can be found HERE. 

221. SJI Seminars Ep.60: Marianna Baggio on 'Out of the shadows: understanding and formalising undeclared care work in the EU'

Our 2025 Annual Social Policy Conference was on the theme 'Care in a Changing World', bringing together voices from across the care landscape — carers, advocates, policymakers and organisations — to explore how care, rights and inclusion must evolve in a changing world.

Marianna Baggio is a research officer in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound,working on aspects of the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), as well as on the topics of gender pay transparency and informal care. Prior to joining Eurofound, she served as a policy analyst at the Competence Centre for Behavioural Insights of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. She has worked as a postdoc at the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Milan) and the University of Trento. She also brings extensive experience from a previous role as corporate social responsibility (CSR) officer in South Africa. Marianna holds a PhD in Economics and Management from the University of Trento,specialising in behavioural economics.

She presented her paper 'Out of the shadows: Tackling undeclared care work in the EU'. 

All videos, papers and presentations for the 2025 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.