Social Justice Matters

154. SJI Seminars Ep35: Launch presentation of Social Justice Matters: a 2023 guide to a fairer Irish Society

We launched our socio-economic review for 2023 on Monday, 8th May 2023. This annual publication is where we present a detailed analysis of a range of key matters which are central to social justice; a vision of Ireland’s future as a just and sustainable society; and a policy framework to move consistently and coherently towards that society. 

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.

153. SJI Interviews Ep.95: Centre for Cross Border Studies with Dr Anthony Soares

Michelle Murphy talks to Dr Anthony Soares, Director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies about the Good Friday Agreement, the work of the centre and explores challenges to and opportunities for cross border cooperation.

152. SJI Interviews Ep.94: Earth Overshoot Day with Dr. Alessandro Galli

Tomorrow, April 21st 2023, marks Ireland's Country Overshoot Day. To explain what that means and Earth Overshoot Day,  Dr. Alessandro Galli, Senior Scientist and Director of the Mediterranean-MENA Program with the Global Footprint Network chats with Susanne Rogers about how this date is worked out, Ireland's country date and some of their policy proposals to help ensure we #movethedate.  

Find your country's Overshoot Day HERE. 

Calculate your Footprint HERE. 

Links to Educational Resources mentioned HERE and HERE.  

More information on next steps and solutions HERE. 

Find the Human Development Index graph Alessandro mentioned HERE and HERE 

151. SJI 10 Minute Lessons Ep 20: Lobbying in Ireland

In this episode of our 10 Minute Lessons series, Research and Policy Analyst, Susanne Rogers looks at lobbying in Ireland. Find out more information and see what your obligations may be at Lobbying.ie. 

150. SJI Seminars Ep 34: Carrie Exton, OECD on Building and Using Wellbeing Frameworks - The OECD and International Experience

Carrie Exton is the Acting Senior Counsellor and Deputy Director at the OECD Centre for Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE). Her team helps to build the evidence base for WISE policy-making, including the development of frameworks and indicators, and their roles in supporting government decisions. 

Carrie spoke at the Social Justice Ireland Annual Social Policy Conference in 2022 on the theme 'Towards Wellbeing For All' about the OECD's approach. You can also watch her presentation, view her slides and read more here.  

149. SJI Interviews Ep.93: Plain Numbers with Mike Ellicock

Plain Numbers is a UK based organisation working with firms to support their customers who struggle with numbers. Their founder Mike Ellicock is a social entrepreneur focused on running organisations that support people who struggle with numbers and data. He launched National Numeracy as founding Chief Executive in 2012, building the organisation from little more than an idea to become a well-respected national charity with strong evidence of impact. The seeds of the idea for Plain Numbers were sown at National Numeracy. Having handed over as Chief Executive there in 2020, Mike is now utilising his unparalleled knowledge of this largely hidden consumer vulnerability to work with firms to enable people to make informed decisions across all areas of their lives.

Mike chats with Susanne Rogers about the work of Plain Numbers, touching on their research findings, the positive impacts on individuals when organisations change their approach to financial information, especially in an increasingly  complicated and fast moving area.  

You can learn more about the research here: Plain Numbers Project: Initial trials report 

The numeracy challenge Mike mentions can be found here: nationalnumeracy.org.uk/challenge/

148.SJI Interviews Ep.92: Social Justice Ireland on SILC and the impacts of poverty and deprivation

Following on from last week's 10 minute lesson, analysts with Social Justice Ireland, Michelle Murphy, Colette Bennett and Susanne Rogers unpack the numbers contained in the Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2022.

The conversation touches on the cohorts most at risk, what impacts poverty and deprivation have on those cohorts and the policy proposals made by Social Justice Ireland  that Government could take on board if they are serious about tackling poverty in Ireland in 2023. 

147. SJI 10 Minute Lessons Ep 19: Poverty and Deprivation in Ireland

On the 22nd February 2023, the Central Statistics Office released the results of the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2022. These data provide the most up to date information on income, poverty, and living conditions across a range of different households in Ireland.   

In this episode of our 10 Minute Lessons series, Economic and Social Analyst, Colette Bennett, goes through the numbers and provides an overview of poverty and deprivation in Ireland today.

146. SJI Interviews Ep.91: Fashion and the Circular Economy with Carrie-Ann Moran

Carrie-Ann Moran is an award-winning Irish social entrepreneur, recognised nationally as a leading voice on circular fashion.  For over 15 years, Carrie Ann has pushed sustainable fashion across the private and third sectors  in Ireland, serving as sustainability manager for multiple small brands, Head of Fashion and Textiles for Rediscovery Centre Ireland, Director of Fashion Revolution Ireland and now Founder and lead consultant at Circular Fashion Ireland.  She has served on the National Advisory Committee of the Irish Government for the implementation of the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy and as a judge on the European Commission’s Social Innovation Competition “Reimagine Fashion”.

She chats with Susanne Rogers about the global fashion industry, the impact it has on emissions and how we all, individual and industry can move from the linear model to a circular model. 

Here are the links Carrie-Ann mentions in the conversation - 

Textile Mountain Documentary  

https://www.fashionrevolution.org/

https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fr_fanzine_001_moneyfashionpower/12

https://www.epa.ie/publications/circular-economy/resources/Nature-and-Extent-of-Post-Consumer-Textiles-in-Ireland---Study-Report.pdf

 

145. SJI Interviews Ep.90: From Pillar to Post with Paul Joyce, FLAC and Dr.Stuart Stamp, Maynooth University

Dr. Stuart Stamp is an Independent Social Researcher and Research Associate of the Department of Applied Social Studies at Maynooth University. His main areas of interest are personal overindebtedness and financial exclusion from an inequality and human rights perspective. 

Paul Joyce, BL, works as Senior Policy Analyst with Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC). He is the author of both of FLAC major reports on debt and the legal system in Ireland, ‘An End based on Means’ published in May 2003 and ‘To No One’s Credit’ published in July 2009, and numerous policy reports and submissions.

Paul and Stuart chat with Susanne Rogers about four papers they have written, From Pillar to Post. They examine the current situation for those dealing with problem debt, both secured and unsecured, the solutions that are available and what changes are needed. 

The Papers can be accessed here:

Paper One. 

Paper Two.

Paper Three.

Paper Four.