Nat O'Connor

A great thinker. RIP. apnews.com/article/juerge…

Some of my thoughts on taxation. tasc.ie/blog/2026/03/1…

📰 New policy brief on PublicPolicy.ie by Samantha Trevaskis, UCD and Dr Yvonne Hartnett, UCD & St Vincent’s University Hospital “Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Current barriers to diagnosis and treatment”. This policy brief outlines the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of PMDD, underlining how it impacts sufferers, and how it is often mistaken for other common mental health conditions. It concludes with key policy recommendations. 🔗: publicpolicy.ie/papers/policy-… #Wellbeing #MentalHealth #Health

✍️ Call for papers! Do you research Irish policy-related issues? The online platform PublicPolicy.ie is now accepting submissions for publications between May-October 2026. Submit your research to our platform and increase its visibility in your field & community! publicpolicy.ie/submit-your-re… #IrishPolicy #PolicyResearch #CallForPapers

1/5 The Council has released new research on Ireland’s corporation tax. These receipts are increasingly reliant on a small number of firms. We estimate that the top 3 groups paid almost half of all corporation tax in 2024.

Today, the Council is releasing new research on the concentration of Ireland’s corporation tax receipts. Brian Cronin, author of the blog, talks though some of the key findings. Read more on our website: lnkd.in/exGYra7X, or Substack: lnkd.in/enXRWQbz

📰 New paper on PublicPolicy.ie by Stephen Wall, Miriam Victoria Fernandez Lins, Stephen Curran, Sawsan Bassalat, Charlotte de Ferrars, Rola Abu Hilal, Dr Philip Crowe, School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, UCD “Communication and respect: a people-first approach to social housing energy retrofits”. While low-energy retrofits greatly enhance Local Authority dwellings' comfort levels, the process of renovating with residents in-situ can be stressful for tenants. Based on a case study of an energy retrofit of a social housing scheme for older people, this paper recommends several good practice approaches to minimise negative impacts associated with retrofit works. publicpolicy.ie/papers/communi… #SocialHousing #Energy #Retrofits

As TASC approaches its 25th anniversary, I’ve written a few posts, starting with this one about the links between economic #inequality and the rise of #populism. tasc.ie/blog/2026/02/1…

Get ready to dive into a colorful mix of knowledge and action at our Thematic Forum: Youth Human Rights Education: A Kaleidoscope of Knowledge (s) and Actions. On March 5th 2026 with support from the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy the Voice, Agency and Rights in Education (VARiE) Research Group will convene a one-day thematic forum on Youth Human Rights Education. This event will feature a day of research sessions open to UCD staff, students and interested members of the public. You can register here: shorturl.at/04XXn or scan the QR code in the poster. #UCD

What's really happening this week when EU leaders meet in a Belgian castle? This Thursday’s EU Council extraordinary summit is officially about 'boosting competitiveness.' But the media isn't reporting what's really on the table: national governments - led by Germany and Italy - claim the power to: - hit pause on any EU law (if they call it burdensome) - decide what Parliament is allowed to amend on any Commission’s proposal - force withdrawal of laws they dislike - and subject the Commission President to periodic reporting to the EU Council. This is little short of a revolution: a restoration of national power over the EU's ability to craft a common journey for the continent. And remember “The European Council shall not exercise legislative functions” - states Article 15.1 TEU. Will anyone notice that European democracy is being rewritten in a Belgian castle? Source: the German-Italian Input for the Leaders’ Retreat on February 12 2026 @Verfassungsblog @EulawLive

Our next Geary Seminar will take place next Tuesday, 10th February at 1pm in the Geary Seminar room (B003/004). We will welcome Dr Oscar Barrera, UCD School of Politics and International Relations and Democracy Challenge, to present on "Winner-Takes-All: Corporate Tax Policy, and Wealth Concentration in the USA". Lunch will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there! 😃 #UCD #GearySeminar

📰 New policy brief on PublicPolicy.ie by Jaroslav Gottfried, Amanda Fitzgerald, Gráinne Flynn, Katarzyna Gajewska, Cathy Lloyd, Arie Nouwen, Shane O'Donnell, Siobhan Power, Ricardo Rodrigues, Norbert Schmitz, and Sonya Deschênes (UCD) “Addressing the mental health needs of people living with diabetes in Ireland”. Both diabetes and depression are potentially serious health conditions which can shorten lifespan and lower quality of life if left undiagnosed and untreated. This brief argues that mental health is a relevant topic of interest when considering practice in diabetes healthcare and provides practical recommendations based on official healthcare guidelines and research findings. Link: publicpolicy.ie/papers/address… #Diabetes #Depression #MentalHealth #Healthcare #Wellbeing #Ireland

📰 New paper on PublicPolicy.ie by Prof Damien Brennan, Dr Maureen D’Eath, Prof Mary McCarron, Prof Philip McCallion, & Dr Ciara Henderson, Trinity College Dublin “A Question of Choice? The Provision of Care for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities”. This paper examines the provision of care for adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Ireland, highlighting how most adults with ID are cared for by ageing parents or other family members. They argue that public policies for supporting people with ID must also include family carers, and that such policies must be centred on choice around care decisions. They conclude with key policy recommendations in the areas of data collection, supported decision-making, respite, and care capacity planning. 🔗: publicpolicy.ie/papers/a-quest… #IntellectualDisabilities #FamilyCarers #LifeExpectancy #Choice #SupportedDecisionMaking #Respite

📰 New working paper by Paul Sweeney, titled ‘Lessons for Ireland from the Celtic Tiger’. This paper represents the author’s unique perspective on the key factors that drove Ireland’s historic Celtic Tiger success, which saw employment double from 1.1 million people in 1987 to 2.2 million by 2007. Lessons from this analysis are applied to Ireland’s contemporary economic challenges 🔗: ucd.ie/geary/t4media/… #CelticTiger #Ireland #WorkingPaper

Our next Geary Seminar will take place next Tuesday, 27th January at 1pm in the Geary Seminar room (B003/004). We will welcome Prof Joana Baptista, University Institute of Lisbon, to present on ‘Early Care Matters: Caregiver-Child Interactions and Self-Regulation in Early Childhood’. Prof Baptista is a guest of Dr Michelle Downes, UCD School of Psychology, and will visit the Geary Institute as part of the BICS Funding Scheme. Lunch will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there! 😃 #UCD #GearySeminar

📰 A new paper on PublicPolicy.ie by Margaret Samahita and Leonhard K. Lades “Reducing Friction, Promoting Fairness: Behavioural Perspectives on Sludge in Irish Public Services” presents insights from a survey on how Irish citizens experience and tolerate different types of sludge, i.e. the unnecessary friction that can complicate or delay access to programmes and services. It finds that people feel most vulnerable to outdated websites, unhelpful staff, and jargon-filled communication, and that people with poorer health, lower administrative literacy, and those who lack mental energy, are most vulnerable. 🔗: publicpolicy.ie/papers/reducin… #Sludge #AdministrativeBurden #Inequality #Vulnerability #Acceptability

The Geary Seminar is back! 😃 Our next Geary Seminar will take place next Tuesday, 20th January at 1pm in the Geary Seminar room (B003/004). We will welcome Prof Clare Stone, Lancaster University, to present on ‘I am who I am: That makes interpretative research interesting and complex’. Prof Morales is a guest of Prof Prospera Tedam, UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work & Social Justice, and is visiting the Geary Institute as part of the BICS Funding Scheme. Lunch will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there! #UCD #GearySeminar

New paper on PublicPolicy.ie by Orlaith Rice (University of Limerick) and Colm Walsh & Megan Kelly (Queens University Belfast) “The Underlying Needs Influencing Young Women's Contact with the Youth Justice System: Findings from a Rapid Review”. Despite increased research on gender in criminology in recent decades, theories to explain youth offending typically do not distinguish between boys and girls. This paper examines evidence of the gendered needs and factors influencing girls’ and young women’s contact with the youth justice system, and argues that there is a need to develop gender-responsive youth justice strategies, enhance early intervention, and provide training on gender sensitivity and trauma-informed care. publicpolicy.ie/papers/the-und… #YouthJustice #Gender

1/6 Today’s fiscal monitor show the final Exchequer returns for 2025. There are two key takeaways from the figures: 1) underlying revenue remains very strong; 2) spending is increasing at a fast pace, leading to large overruns.

My latest paper examines Eurostat's recent recategorisation of social housing spending in several EU members (inc Ireland) onto the government balance sheet. This isn't just a technical decision, it has created severe problems for financing social housing equalhouse.eu/media/Social%2…