Ministerial portfolio changes adding to policy pressures

Muiris MacCarthaigh is Professor of Politics and Public Policy and Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Administration at Queen’s University Belfast. This blog draws from an article published in 2023 in Irish Political Studies titled ‘Public policy accumulation in Ireland: the changing profile of ministerial departments 1922–2022’. As another coalition government takes shape,…

Participatory and Deliberative Democracy Specialist Groups Host Conference on Cross-Border Transformations in Constitutional Politics

Dr Valesca Lima is an Assistant Professor of Politics at Dublin City University’s School of Law and Government. The PSAI and PSA Participatory and Deliberative Democracy Specialist Groups held a one-day conference on August 9th, 2024 entitled “Cross-border Transformations: Deliberation and Participation in Constitutional Politics”. Hosted at the Geary Institute at University College Dublin, the…

Irish Policy Agendas Project workshop

The Irish Policy Agendas Project held a workshop this week, bringing together researchers using and generating Irish policy agendas data, developing plans for new policy agendas projects, and studying policy agenda-setting in other ways. The workshop was supported by the PSAI’s Public Policy Specialist Group through the PSAI’s Specialist Group Funding scheme, and the NUI…

The electoral system used to elect Ireland’s MEPs

As noted here a couple of weeks ago, it’s debateable whether Ireland complies with the requirement in EU law that MEPs are to be elected using a system of proportional representation (PR), be that a list system or PR-STV. At present 25 countries use some kind of list system, while Ireland and Malta employ PR-STV.…

Ireland-China Relations Conference

Dr Alexander Dukalskis is an Associate Professor in UCD’s School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe). The PSAI International Relations and Area Studies Specialist Group recently helped support a conference on Ireland-China relations. The event, held on May 23rd, was a collaboration between the UCD Centre for Asia-Pacific Research and the University of Notre Dame’s Clingen…

Is it time for a new electoral system to elect Ireland’s MEPs?

By Michael Gallagher The plethora of candidates for the European Parliament elections due in Ireland on 7 June raises the question of whether the country is using the most appropriate method of electing its MEPs. With 23 candidates in Dublin and South, and 27 in Midlands–North-West, voters will be faced with a disconcertingly lengthy ballot…

New and interdisciplinary perspectives on conflict and hunger

Dr Caitriona Dowd is an Assistant Professor in UCD’s School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe). This post describes a workshop on Conflict & Hunger: New and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. The workshop was organised by Dr Dowd with the generous support of the PSAI’s Peace and Conflict Specialist Group. The UCD Africa Engagement Seed Fund kindly…