Grow and Cook

Published by Gill & Macmillan, Hume Avenue, Park West, Dublin 12 in 2007. Index compiled by Cover to Cover, photography by Hugh McElveen, food styling by Anne-Marie Tobin. Desigh and print origination by Design Image. 254p., col., ill. 24cm Access publisher\u27s wedsite herehttps://arrow.tudublin.ie/irckbooks/1094/thumbnail.jp

In-Work Transfers in Good Times and Bad: Simulations for Ireland

In-work transfers are often seen as a good trade-off between redistribution and efficiency, as they alleviate poverty among low-wage households while increasing financial incentives to work. The present study explores the consequences of extending these transfers in Ireland, where support for low-wage households has been of limited scope. The employment and poverty effects of alternative policies are analyzed thanks to counterfactual simulations built using a micro-simulation model, the Living in Ireland Survey 2001 and labour supply estimations. Firstly, we study the effect of recent extensions of the existing scheme, the Family Income Supplement (FIS), and of its replacement by the refundable tax credit in force in the UK. Secondly, little is known about the impact of macro-level changes on the distribution of resources at the household level, which is particularly relevant in a country deeply affected by the current economic downturn. We suggest a preliminary analysis of the capacity of alternative in-work transfer scenarios to cushion the negative impact of earnings losses and cuts in the minimum wage.microsimulation, working poor, welfare, labour supply, take-up

Caught in the Trap? The Disincentive Effect of Social Assistance

While financial incentives usually have a significant effect on the labor supply of married women and single mothers, the evidence about the participation elasticity of childless singles, and single males especially, is more scant. This is, however, important in countries like France and Germany, where single individuals constitute the core of social assistance recipients. As yet, there is no conclusive evidence about whether, and to what extent, this group is affected by the financial disincentives em- bedded in the generous redistributive programs in place in these countries. In this paper, we exploit a particular feature of the main welfare scheme in France (Revenu Minimum d'Insertion, RMI), namely that childless adults under age 25 are not eligible for it. Using a regression discontinuity approach and the French micro-census data, we find that the RMI reduces the employment of uneducated single men by 7% - 10%. Important policy implications are drawn.Regression discontinuity; Welfare; Social assistance; Labor supply

In-work Transfers in Good Times and Bad - Simulations for Ireland

In-work transfers are often seen as a good trade-off between redistribution and efficiency, as they alleviate poverty among low-wage households while increasing financial incentives to work. The present study explores the consequences of ex- tending these transfers in Ireland, where support for low-wage households has been of limited scope. The employment and poverty effects of alternative policies are an- alyzed thanks to counterfactual simulations built using a micro-simulation model, the Living in Ireland Survey 2001 and labour supply estimations. Firstly, we study the effect of recent extensions of the existing scheme, the Family Income Supplement (FIS), and of its replacement by the refundable tax credit in force in the UK. Sec- ondly, little is known about the impact of macro-level changes on the distribution of resources at the household level, which is particularly relevant in a country deeply affected by the current economic downturn. We suggest a preliminary analysis of the capacity of alternative in-work transfer scenarios to cushion the negative impact of earnings losses and cuts in the minimum wage.Microsimulation; Working Poor; Welfare; Labour supply; Take-up

Caught in the Trap? The Disincentive Effect of Social Assistance

While financial incentives usually have a significant effect on the labor supply of married women and single mothers, the evidence about the participation elasticity of childless singles, and single males especially, is more scant. This is, however, important in countries like France and Germany, where single individuals constitute the core of social assistance recipients. As yet, there is no conclusive evidence about whether, and to what extent, this group is affected by the financial disincentives embedded in the generous redistributive programs in place in these countries. In this paper, we exploit a particular feature of the main welfare scheme in France (Revenu Minimum d’Insertion, RMI), namely that childless adults under age 25 are not eligible for it. Using a regression discontinuity approach and the French micro-census data, we find that the RMI reduces the employment of uneducated single men by 7% - 10%. Important policy implications are drawn.Regression discontinuity; Welfare; Social assistance; Labor supply

Caught in the Trap? The Disincentive Effect of Social Assistance.

While financial incentives usually have a significant effect on the labor supply of married women and single mothers, the evidence about the participation elasticity of childless singles, and single males especially, is more scant. This is, however, important in countries like France and Germany, where single individuals constitute the core of social assistance recipients. As yet, there is no conclusive evidence about whether, and to what extent, this group is affected by the financial disincentives embedded in the generous redistributive programs in place in these countries. In this paper, we exploit a particular feature of the main welfare scheme in France (Revenu Minimum d'Insertion, RMI), namely that childless adults under age 25 are not eligible for it. Using a regression discontinuity approach and the French micro-census data, we find that the RMI reduces the employment of uneducated single men by 7%-10%. Important policy implications are drawn.Regression discontinuity ; Welfare ; Social Assistance ; Labour Supply

Taxation, Work and Gender Equality in Ireland. ESRI DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES IZA DP No. 11495, April 2018

In most developed countries, economies are facing population ageing, falling fertility rates and stagnating labour force participation. The ability of governments to fund future pension and health-care expenditure relies to a large extent on income tax and social security receipts from workers. Policymakers are generally in agreement that increasing the labour force participation of women, without reducing the fertility rate, is needed. In the year 2000, with the aim of increasing women’s labour market participation, a partial individualisation of the Irish income tax system was initiated. Using the Living in Ireland survey and a difference-in-differences framework, I investigate whether this reform had any effect on female labour supply and caring duties. I find that the labour force participation rate of married women increased by 5-6 percentage points in the wake of the reform, hours of work increased by two per week and hours of unpaid childcare decreased by approximately the same margin

What drove income inequality during the Great Recession? ESRI Research Bulletin 202102 February 2021.

This paper shows how tax and benefit policy shaped income inequality in European countries during the Great Recession

FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE. ESRI Research Bulletin 2017/07

Ongoing long-term demographic changes are widely considered a risk to fiscal sustainability in developed countries. A shrinking labour force, combined with a growing old age dependency ratio, is expected to reduce tax revenues and raise pension expenditures in the future. This may threaten government capacity to fund social welfare systems and provide other public goods. The issue is more relevant in the aftermath of the Great Recession, which has weakened governments’ fiscal positions, even before these demographic developments. This paper assesses to what extent concerns about future fiscal budgets in Europe are justified. Pension systems in virtually all industrialized countries have been subject to recent reforms in order to stabilise fiscal budgets. Taking the example of a further increase in the statutory retirement age as a potential policy reaction to demographic change, this paper projects the likely fiscal consequences