Frances Ruane
Professor Frances Ruane has been a Research Affiliate at the ESRI since October 1, 2015. She previously served as Director of the Institute between 1 December 2006 and 15 July 2015, when she was succeeded by Professor Alan Barrett. She is currently Chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council and in that role she represents Ireland on the European Network of National Productivity Boards. She is currently Chair of the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s National Theatre, a member of the Council of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland, and a member of the Appointments Committee of the Press Council of Ireland.
She is also member of the Royal Irish Academy and an Honorary Fellow at Trinity College
Dr Ruane has previously served on numerous international statistical bodies, such as the European Statistical Advisory Committee (ESAC) and the European Statistical Governance Advisory Board (ESGAB) . In addition, she served three terms on the Council of Economic Advisers in Scotland: 2015 – 2018, 2012 – 2014 and 2007 – 2014
Professor Ruane has previously held chair or membership of a number of broad–ranging policy fora and authorities including: Chair of the Make Work Pay for People with Disabilities (2016-2017); Chair of the Expert Group on Resource Allocation and Financing in the Health Sector, (2009-2010); Chair of the National Statistics Board (1996 to 2003); Member of the Commission of the National Pensions Reserve Fund (2009-2014); Member of the Higher Education Authority (2007-2012); and Member of the Health Research Board (2007-2012). She has served as a member on a number of Irish State Boards, including the National Board for Science and Technology, the Industrial Development Authority, Forfás and Bord Gáis Eireann. In addition, she has participated on numerous governmental advisory committees/groups, including the Funding of Third Level Education, Tax & Social Welfare Reform, Future Skills Needs and the Research Prioritisation Steering Group.
Prior to joining the ESRI, Frances Ruane was Associate Professor in the Department of Economics in Trinity College Dublin, where she also held the posts of Director of the Policy Institute and Director of the MSc programme in Economic Policy Studies. Earlier in her career, she held positions in the Industrial Development Authority, the Central Bank of Ireland and Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. A graduate in Economics, Politics and Statistics of University College Dublin, Frances Ruane was awarded a Research Fellowship from the ESRI to study Economics at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, where she was awarded an M Phil (1977) and a D Phil (1980).
She has published extensively, especially in the fields of international economics, industrial development and economic policy making.