Ageing populations and the resulting pressures on health and social care systems as well as social security systems are causing disability prevalence to be an increasingly salient issue in Northern Ireland (NI) and Ireland, as well as in many other developed societies. A greater understanding of disability prevalence is therefore important as policies in a number of relevant areas adapt to this changing landscape. The censuses in NI and Ireland and the subsequent individual level data which are available allow for side-by-side case studies of a range of economic and social issues, including disability. While this contributes to understanding of policyrelevant issues on an all-island basis, differences remain and they are not perfectly comparable. While the census questions differ between jurisdictions, the data support meaningful side-by-side comparisons and the results are interpreted with appropriate caution. This is the first work to examine disability rates across the island of Ireland. Disability prevalence, as measured by self-reported disability from the respective censuses amongst those aged 20–69 years, is broadly similar across Ireland and Northern Ireland, with rates of 23 per cent in Northern Ireland and 22 per cent in Ireland.

This paper examines the earnings and job satisfaction of Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates in the European Union (EU) using two definitions of vocational education: a self-reported definition and a more specific definition that incorporates work-based learning. The incidence of third-level VET falls from 73% to 32% under the stricter definition. Across the EU, the returns to vocational and academic qualifications are comparable for upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary qualifications. Earnings premia vary between countries, with VET generating higher returns in just under one-third of all EU-28 members. Additionally, third level VET graduates enjoy higher levels of job satisfaction.

Disability benefit recipiency rates have been persistently higher in Northern Ireland (NI) than the rest of the UK for decades. Receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), a social security payment designed to cover the additional costs of living with a disability, was proportionally around twice as high in NI compared to the rest of the UK at its 2016 peak. This paper uses data from the Northern Ireland Cohort of Longitudinal Ageing survey to examine whether one potential contributory factor, exposure to the conflict, can explain variations in DLA receipt among older working-age people in Northern Ireland. Conflict-related fatality rates at the area level are used to account for potential endogeneity in reporting past exposure to trauma. While most of the NI population in the age bracket examined (50-64 years) were exposed to the conflict in some way, more intense exposure to the conflict is found to increase the likelihood of DLA receipt by 21 percentage points. We also find a substantial impact on mental ill health. This research has significant policy ramifications both in NI but also across the UK at a time of particular interest in disability benefit receipt as well as contributing to the wider post-conflict literature.

There is an ever growing literature on how those living in deprived areas were affected to a greater extent by the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of both the health and the economic impacts. Based on the latter, we investigate the spatial patterns of employment disruption due to COVID-19 and the relationship with area-level deprivation in Ireland. Using a unique administrative dataset, we examine if area-level deprivation affected the proportion in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), an income replacement payment for those who lost their full-time employment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the length of time on the support. The findings suggest that not only did deprived areas have higher rates of employment disruption but the disruption they faced was more volatile in that it was more responsive to changes in government restrictions. So, while PUP rates were higher in more deprived areas the length of time in receipt of the payment was shorter, suggesting that individuals from more deprived areas had less discretion in deciding when they could safely return to work. Several potential inequalities in the impact of the pandemic with respect to area level deprivation are evident from the results and could inform future pandemic planning and the relevant policy responses.

This study examines COVID-19 infection rates and ICU admission rates in deprived areas in Ireland. Using area-level data from Electoral Division (ED) areas, the Pobal Haase-Pratschke Relative Deprivation Index (henceforth HP deprivation index) and Census data, the analysis finds that infection rates in the most deprived areas were about a third higher than those in affluent areas, even after controlling for age, minority communities, and communal establishments. Higher ICU admission rates are linked to minority communities, older populations, and poorer health. Non-deprived areas in border counties also exhibited notably high infection rates, highlighting the need for coordinated public health responses across jurisdictions. The findings highlight important policy implications for addressing inequalities in public health across Ireland and underscore the importance of addressing pre-existing health disparities and targeting pandemic planning efforts to mitigate the disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations.

This paper investigates the occurrence and nature of barriers to social inclusion in distinct geographical settings. Utilising a unique administrative dataset from Ireland's dominant social inclusion programme, this study examines how location impacts the occurrence of these barriersat a small-area level. Ireland's high growth rates have raised concerns about uneven effects, making it an interesting case study for 'left behind' places. The findings reveal that barriers associated with social inclusion, related to economic participation, are more prevalent in 'independent urban towns' compared to both more urban and more rural areas, over and above area-level deprivation. This implies that existing policies, which traditionally employs a simplistic urban/rural dichotomy, lacks effective targeting, and would benefit from adopting a more precise spatial perspective.

This paper builds on a study of educational differences across Ireland and Northern Ireland to explore the relationship between educational attainment, social background and wages. We find evidence of substantial wage premia across all qualification levels in Ireland relative to Northern Ireland, a pattern that is widespread, and not merely driven by higher returns to professional occupations or FDI employment. The mean wage gap was 27% in 2014 in favour of Ireland, and approximately 25% of this difference can be explained by lower levels of educational attainment in Northern Ireland. We find that levels of educational attainment (early school leaving) are substantially lower (higher) in Northern Ireland relative to Ireland. There is also evidence of differences in how the education level of parents affects offspring's attainment. We conclude that academic selection in Northern Ireland is likely to contribute to limiting the extent to which the educational system facilitates intergenerational educational mobility.

Previous research has shown that, on average, lower paid workers were more susceptible to job losses during the pandemic. This relates to the fact that many low paid jobs are in sectors that were particularly hard hit by the public health measures. For example, many businesses in the accommodation and food sectors were forced to close at various points during the pandemic, with little prospect for low-paid workers to continue to work remotely. Our research investigates the economic impact of the pandemic on people living in disadvantaged areas in Ireland. This is carried out by examining whether area-level deprivation affected the number and duration of Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) recipients. This is done by merging a unique dataset of PUP recipients from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) with Electoral Division (ED) level measures of deprivation based on the Pobal Haase Pratschke Relative Deprivation Index (HP Relative Deprivation Index). Our results indicate that the employment situation of individuals in deprived areas (as measured by the HP deprivation index) was more heavily impacted by pandemic lockdown conditions than was the case for individuals from more affluent areas. Specifically, we find that ED-level Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) rates, which we define as the percentage of working-age individuals in an ED in receipt of PUP, were higher in more deprived areas during lockdown periods. These area-level PUP rates also fell more quickly in more deprived areas once lockdown conditions were relaxed. Consistent with this pattern, average PUP durations were often lower in more deprived areas.

Policy evaluation is an essential tool of government as it ensures that the objectives of policies and programmes are being met and that tax revenues are being well spent. In many instances, policy evaluation involves using standard counterfactual analysis to measure the impact of a programme on a well-defined outcome variable, for example, the change in unemployment rates following the introduction of a wage subsidy offered to firms hiring persons on the Live Register. However, in many policy areas with wide-ranging and cross-cutting objectives, standard counterfactual analysis is not possible and policy evaluation takes the form of monitoring changes in key performance indicators (KPIs) that are linked to specific policy objectives or general well-being levels. Given the large-scale budgets associated with rural and community development, it is essential that Ireland's data infrastructure is sufficient to allow for effective policy evaluation in these areas. The purpose of this study is to identify the KPIs most relevant to Irish rural development policy and to assess the extent to which these are currently available at the required spatial level.

Northern Ireland has substantially higher rates of disability and disability benefit receipt than England, despite a common institutional context. This paper exploits newly available data from the NICOLA and ELSA surveys to examine potential health and labour market explanations for this gap, specifically among older working-age people. Observable differences in health and labour markets are sufficient to explain the gap in self-reported activity-limiting disability, but only half of the gap in work -limiting disability and income-replacement disability benefit receipt, and only one-third of the gap in additional costs disability benefit receipt. Possible reasons for these remaining unexplained gaps are discussed.

This study draws on international and national survey data, administrative data, 31 interviews with 35 policy stakeholders and input from a consultation with stakeholders to document commonalities and differences between the education systems in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Remarkably, it is the first study to systematically compare the systems from primary to tertiary levels and it is hoped that the findings will provide insights for future policy learning in both jurisdictions. The study is timely given the independent review of education being conducted in Northern Ireland and ongoing reviews, especially at primary and upper secondary levels, in Ireland.

The social inclusion of children with disabilities, and in particular their inclusion in early learning and care settings, is key to maximising their wellbeing, care and future education. It is therefore vital that children with disabilities have equal access to early learning and school age care and education. Joint research, published by the ESRI and Pobal explores a number of existing challenges experienced by children with disabilities in this area.

In this book, Menard-Warwick foregrounds the voices of 27 TESOL teachers/student-teachers from Chile and California and analyses them according to the Bakhtinian theory of dialogism. The voices are...