John FitzGerald: Ireland is finally taking global warming seriously but there’s too much talk, not enough actionRegulatory obstacles may stymie State ambition on carbon budgetsFri Jun 9 2023 - 05:00
Economics never claimed the markets are always right. That is a dismal mythGovernment intervention was always seen as essential, and few economists see the pursuit of growth as the only goalFri Jun 2 2023 - 05:00
Price controls didn’t work in the Soviet Union and won’t work hereBest solution to consumers’ pain is for the Government to act to protect those on low incomesFri May 26 2023 - 06:00
John FitzGerald: How to contain a bank run in the high-speed age of social mediaModern bank runs can escalate within minutes rather than weeks due to online social networks posing new challenges for central banksFri May 19 2023 - 05:00
Absence of executive exacerbates North’s budgetary problemsNorthern Secretary has blamed the £300m unplanned overspend last year on the absence of a government in StormontFri May 12 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Success of pandemic measures shows merit of discretion in EU fiscal rulesObsessive focus on avoiding indebtedness forces countries to slam on the breaks in hard times, making the damage far worse than necessaryFri May 5 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Raising the cost of flying may be the necessary thing to doLack of agreed international regulation, or taxes, means flying is likely to be the last battleground on fossil fuel useFri Apr 28 2023 - 05:00
Splurging the corporation tax windfall in exchange for votes would threaten the nation’s futureBy delaying the gratification from spending the bonanza today, the State will get much better value for moneyFri Apr 21 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: State needs to stop cost of living supports for better off families A savings glut and low interest rates risk overheating the Irish economy and pushing house prices higherFri Apr 14 2023 - 05:00
Farming must focus on reducing emission of nitrogen Failure to address regulatory obstacles to climate-friendly forestry planting traps farmers in unviable and damaging beef cattle farmingFri Apr 7 2023 - 05:00
Membership of the EU has transformed IrelandJohn FitzGerald: State had been ne of northern Europe’s poorer countries, it is now one of the richestFri Mar 31 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Silicon Valley Bank had no excuse for being ‘all in’ on giltsEuropean banking system appears to be better regulated and prepared for downsides but there could still be hidden problems waiting to emergeFri Mar 24 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: EU electricity market needs reform to end reliance on windfall profitsCurrent mix of support mechanisms for producers is unnecessarily costly for consumers and uncertain for renewables investorsFri Mar 17 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: State needs to invest smarter to meet the cost of claimsThe €140m paid to lawyers by the State Claims Agency in 2021 represented approximately 15% of the profession’s income that yearFri Mar 10 2023 - 05:00
Rent control reduces supply and makes life even harder for new tenantsJohn FitzGerald: Increasing the supply of rented accommodation, including social housing, is the better way to goFri Mar 3 2023 - 05:00
People in cities have more cash than their country cousinsTaxes and welfare smooth out some of the starkest differences in incomes across various parts of the StateFri Feb 24 2023 - 05:00
Will the cost of living crisis come to an end?Government supports must focus on most vulnerable parts of society, not the wider populationFri Feb 17 2023 - 05:00
Nuclear power plants are simply too big to be viable in IrelandWe need to build more electricity generating capacity but as government noted 40 years ago scale makes nuclear power a poor fitFri Feb 10 2023 - 05:00
Could the economy be on track to overheat?Higher taxes could lie ahead as possible overheating loomsFri Feb 3 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Lack of consultation by London a key part of NI protocol rowUK government’s decision not to consult with devolved administrations on Brexit stirred mistrust and animosityFri Jan 27 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Encouraging a switch to EVs in rural areas is the fastest way to cut emissionsTransport sector is key for Ireland to hit emissions targetsFri Jan 20 2023 - 05:00
Congestion charges vital to get people out of cars and on to public transportRoad space is a scarce resource that can be used most efficiently by buses, so bus lanes are more valuable than cycle pathsFri Jan 13 2023 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: The lessons we need to learn from the pandemicOn the economic front, Government decision to provide increased support for households and businesses proved exceptionally successfulFri Jan 6 2023 - 05:00
State suddenly finds itself in a good position to fund more investmentThe big constraint will be producing the promised investment when the economy is close to full employmentFri Dec 23 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Supporters of a united Ireland are often unrealistic on cost of legacy debtOptimism bias seriously clouds the judgment of some supporters of unification who imagine that Britain would somehow pick up the tabFri Dec 16 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Constitutional protection for biodiversity could have damaging consequences We should allow for legislative judgment calls on how we balance biodiversity with the need for essentials such as renewable power and housingFri Dec 9 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Government data needs to be easily accessiblePress releases only tell us so much - the data that can drive Government decisions should be readily availableFri Dec 2 2022 - 05:00
Preparing to pay the price of the COP out The potential consequences of the global temperature rising by two degrees are devastating if we fail to plan ahead nowFri Nov 25 2022 - 05:00
Energy crisis: Keeping energy-guzzling operations alive should not be priorityEurope's biggest economy likely to see output fall over the coming yearFri Nov 18 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Tech downturn could pose a serious threat to the exchequerIt’s not just the enormous corporation tax revenues that are at risk but income tax revenues should tech workers be laid off in significant numbersFri Nov 11 2022 - 05:45
John FitzGerald: Joining EU has transformed Irish economic policy over past 50 years Exposure to then EEC colleagues and subsequent EU civil servants produced fresh ideas at the Department of Finance and in governmentFri Nov 4 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: It’s time to listen to the taxation commissionIgnoring the challenges of serving a growing and ageing population won’t make them go awayFri Oct 28 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Fastest route to UK growth lies in education and closer ties to the EUBritain is fortunate that Truss’s reckless growth experiment lasted only days; now the focus needs to turn to more orthodox approachesFri Oct 21 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: EU red tape is hampering our ability to plant forestsReducing share of land for unprofitable beef farming and planting trees instead should be a win-win for farmers and the environmentFri Oct 14 2022 - 05:00
People are being left in the dark about their electricity use through daft smart-meter conditionsSmart meters record when households consume a lot of power, but customers can’t access that data easilyFri Oct 7 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Betting on once-off energy price supports could prove foolhardyWhile gas prices will eventually recede from their peak, they will remain permanently higher than in the pastFri Sep 30 2022 - 05:00
Taliban-like marriage bar held back the nation’s economyEven after its abolition in 1973, the bar continued to cast a shadow over women working in the public service for decadesFri Sep 23 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: UK’s colossal energy supports could lead to economic disasterLiz Truss is borrowing with reckless abandon, not targeting those most in need and risking a crisis should foreign lenders lose faithFri Sep 16 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Energy price rises set to topple economies into recession Building new liquefied natural gas terminals will take three to five years even without planning delays.Fri Sep 9 2022 - 05:40
John FitzGerald: Has our economy been growing at an unsustainable rate?The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we workFri Sep 2 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: We are paying the price for failure to invest in power generation Necessary short-term solutions must not be allowed to seriously damage the all-island electricity market in the medium termFri Aug 26 2022 - 05:00
John FitzGerald: Food processing has been good for Irish farmersAdded value has improved returns for farmers, especially in dairy, but meat sector and climate change remain challengesFri Aug 19 2022 - 05:00
On climate change, the best may be the enemy of the good Instead of continuing to fight the battle over agricultural emissions, it’s time to take real action to realise the targeted reduction.Fri Aug 12 2022 - 05:00
Surging energy costs will take the wind out of Ireland Inc’s sailsCost to economy of additional energy bill this year is like wiping out all the revenue we earn from food exportsFri Jul 22 2022 - 05:20
This time is different as euro zone battles slumpBlame game by more frugal states, which poisoned the atmosphere in the late 2000s, is not likely this time aroundFri Jul 15 2022 - 05:30
John FitzGerald: Census reveals much more than population numbersLabour shortages rather than unemployment are main concern todayFri Jul 8 2022 - 05:00
Threat to Irish gas supplies from Britain a cause for alarmIf Ireland were to lose the 70% of gas coming via Britain, the consequences would be awfulFri Jul 1 2022 - 05:30
ECB should heed lessons from 1970s in deciding interest rate risesBank of England let inflation rip in the 1970s while Germany quickly raised rates, with both approaches scarring their economiesFri Jun 24 2022 - 05:30
Ireland is going backwards when it comes to our climate goalsState has made a slow start in meeting target of reducing greenhouse gas emissionsFri Jun 17 2022 - 05:00
Government should put some of the corporate tax windfall into a rainy day fundIf this tax revenue suddenly dries up, the fund would provide a cushion for the State’s financesFri Jun 10 2022 - 05:30