Message from the Director

ESRI research seeks to inform our understanding of key issues facing Irish society. At present there is a strong focus on research relevant to economic recovery and the impact of austerity.

Our research continues to inform the preparation of short-term forecasts for the economy as published in the Quarterly Economic Commentary. The ESRI is currently preparing new medium terms forecasts for the economy which are expected to be released in June in the form of a Medium Term Review. The recent QEC, in addition to reviewing the current macro position, also included a paper on debt sustainability and a note on the Ireland’s export patterns. The ESRI continues to undertake and publish research on the macroeconomic behaviour of the Irish economy. We have recently begun a programme of research with the Central Bank of Ireland which will develop the next generation of macro models for Ireland. We are beginning new programmes of research on patterns of recovery in the housing market, how to fund SMEs as economic recovery takes hold, and the impact of credit constraints on household behaviour (view details of research in this area).

The Institute has recently begun two further research programmes. The first is the Programme of Research Investigating Consumer Evaluations (PRICE) Lab which is a three year research programme co-funded by the National Consumer Agency, Commission for Energy Regulation, ComReg, and the Central Bank of Ireland. The programme is developing computerised experiments to explore the limits of consumers’ abilities to value complex products and to choose between them. The aim of the programme is to provide evidence for policymakers that may help them to devise policies to support consumers in their efforts to make better decisions in key markets.

The second new programme, which is funded by the Department of Social Protection, will focus on analysing aspects of social inclusion using the Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC) data. Research in 2013 will explore the role of social transfers in alleviating poverty in Ireland and the capacity of indicators of financial stress to capture the impact of the recession on households. 

Two new projects on disability will combine data from the National Disability Survey (NDS) and 2006 Census data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to explore the factors which enable people with an emotional, psychological or mental health disability to participate in economic and social life and the experiences of children with a disability in the education system.


The ESRI’s health programme covers both population health and health services research. Current research in the area of health includes a study which examines evidence on the cost and cost effectiveness of alternative models (comprehensive, intermediate, limited) of palliative care in the Irish health-care system. A new project in this area is an economic analysis of stroke rehabilitation. It aims to examine rehabilitation services for stroke patients in the Irish health-care system, identifying patterns of use and assessing the implications (economic, health outcomes) of existing and new models of care. The project is led by researchers from the ESRI and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and is funded by the Irish Heart Foundation. Further research is currently underway in relation to the pharmaceuticals market, building on an earlier published report, Delivery of Pharmaceuticals in Ireland – Getting a Bigger Bang for the Buck.