Documents

This study aims to outline the most significant features of the national economic and social councils of the Member States of the European Union in the light of the doctoral thesis defended by the author at the Catholic University of Murcia (Spain).

The State must drive the provision of housing and urban development. The Irish housing system is speculative, volatile and expensive. The urban land system is dysfunctional: land is not available in appropriate locations at a cost that will allow affordable housing to be provided. This is the message from the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) in this report.

This paper describes and reflects on the evolution of the UK’s approach to infrastructure policy and planning. The purpose is to help inform the development of Irish infrastructure policy as we return to higher levels of investment. The paper focuses on institutional and governance issues: how infrastructure plans are formulated, and how policy decisions are made, responded to by stakeholders, implemented, maintained and evaluated.

This report finds that there is momentum in circular economy practices in Ireland, but action is needed to build on the early advantage. This report highlights some of the leaders in the Irish circular economy, whose products and services keep resources in use for longer, extract the maximum value from them and recover products and materials. The report includes ten case studies of businesses and social enterprises. The research, by Dr Simon O’Rafferty, highlights the opportunities available for businesses and social enterprises, while drawing attention to the regulatory and social challenges in facilitating the transition to a circular economy.