Our Blog
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Government must use the Budget process to tackle inequality
Structural inequality is a root cause of poverty, and all Government decisions play a role in determining how equal or unequal our society is. This is particularly evident when it comes to the decisions it makes in the annual Budget. The National Economic and Social Council’s recent report, Inequality and Wellbeing Frameworks, outlines the impact … Continue reading “Government must use the Budget process to tackle inequality”
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The Right to Seek Asylum- EAPN Ireland Poverty Watch 2022 Extract
For the past decade, one the most urgent issues we have seen in Europe is migration and the movement of people fleeing persecution from their countries of origin. This issue has grown rapidly in 2022, due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February of this year.
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Cost of living measures must prioritise those on lowest incomes and address long-term causes
One of the main areas of political and media focus over the past number of months has been the steep rise in the cost of living experienced by people across the country….
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Policy responses to the housing crisis – a road to nowhere?
The cost of accommodation is not included in the calculation of poverty levels but for many, availability and cost of accommodation can result in overcrowding and homelessness driving people into poverty and desolation.
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The pay divide and where worlds collide
One of the few positives of the pandemic is that it has highlighted the difficult and valuable work undertaken by workers who are often subject to low pay and poor conditions…
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Evidence-based Policy: Separating Science and Codology
Originally promoted by the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) in 2005, a now defunct social partnership body that included the community and voluntary sector, very few of those working in or supporting the community sector had expressed doubts about the concept of evidence-based policymaking….
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EAPN30: What would the old man in the Simpsons think? Poverty in Ireland and Europe, 1990-2020
There’s an old man in the Simpsons cartoon. He has a scaly, wrinkled face, a few wisps of scraggy hair on top, was probably a lifelong smoke and he bemoans how over the previous thirty years or so the performance of his football team degenerated. He even has a subtitle: ‘embittered veteran’…
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Imagining a good life for everybody within planetary boundaries
On the 30th Anniversary of EAPN, Fintan Farrell reflects on the history of anti-poverty policy in the EU and writes about the societal transformation that is needed in order to eradicate poverty and social exclusion moving forward….
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Why families can’t afford a house
In normal circumstances, Ireland needs to build about 25,000 units of accommodation per year. In the extraordinary situation that came about on foot of the collapse of the housing market in 2008 that estimate has risen to 35,000 per year to accommodate the backlog that has built up since then….
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Will education and childcare receive additional investment as we emerge from the initial pandemic wave?
Education and childcare are two essential areas of our lives. Schools prepare children for adulthood while providing the range of skills necessary to negotiate relationships, form a family and begin to explore life choices. Second level and higher education builds on this, facilitating young people to explore their potential, focus on specific skills and develop … Continue reading “Will education and childcare receive additional investment as we emerge from the initial pandemic wave?”
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