Media updates from the Economic Policy Centre

External Media

UUEPC Advisory Board Appointee

6 November 2018

The Ulster University Economic Policy Centre appoints Gerry McGinn as an independent member to its Advisory Board

External Media

Even though there are several positives in the economy, wage stagnation will catch up on us eventually, insists economist

16 October 2018

Northern Ireland’s economic performance continues to remain broadly positive. Unemployment is near record lows and the economy is undergoing the process of rebalancing to be more private sector-led through a booming jobs market.

External Media

World recession 2019?

18 September 2018

The First World War is often said to have begun because of a chain of events which started with the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on the streets of Sarajevo in June 2014. This is the classic example of how one event can have massive global consequences. Catastrophe occurred because there were weaknesses in the global political system and mechanisms which allowed a crisis to spread. There are parallels to the state of the world economy in late 2018 given underlying weaknesses such as levels of debt and mechanisms which would facilitate spread effects.

Opinion

“No government” matters for business and the economy

28 August 2018

The cost of about 600 days of “no government” has been accumulating. Two areas may be particularly important: budgetary questions, and the inability to develop policies.

Opinion

Croatia’s economy: Like Northern Ireland’s but even less competitive

10 July 2018

Performance in global football is not that strongly associated with either the size of a country’s population or economy. Croatia is a very small country but punches (or kicks) above its weight.

Opinion

England in the World Cup - impact on the economy?

9 July 2018

The Bank of England’s Deputy Governor Andy Haldane gave two reasons why he thought the economy might be doing better than expected.

External Media

NHS at 70: Time for the big questions

3 July 2018

The NHS has had its achievements. Life expectancy is up by 13 years in England since 1948. However, many indicators imply there is a growing gap between the UK and many other countries.

Opinion

One more step towards airport expansion in South East England: It matters to NI

26 June 2018

The May Government won Monday night’s vote (25 June) to proceed towards expansion of Heathrow. Admittedly, a few more steps have to be negotiated before the first shovel hits the ground.

Opinion

Explaining World Cup performance economically and demographically?

14 June 2018

The 2018 World Cup is about to kick off. Which countries are likely to do well? Could richer countries “buy” better performance?

Opinion

NHS at 70: Many happy returns or quite sickly?

29 May 2018

The 5 July will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the NHS. This anniversary marks a good point at which to ask questions about how well the NHS been performing and whether the funding model is sustainable?

External Media

What can Karl Marx teach us 200 years on from his birth?

22 May 2018

Two hundred years on from his birth in the German city of Trier, interest in Karl Marx is reviving. Let us ask what is still valid about Marx and what should be put into, to use Trotsky’s phrase, “the dust bin of history”?

External Media

Does “no government” matter for business and the economy?

22 May 2018

Notwithstanding the absence of a regional government since January 2017 the lights are still on in Northern Ireland, public services continued and the number of employees in jobs grew by 2% in 2017.

Opinion

Thursday: Another non-D Day at the Bank of England?

9 May 2018

Tomorrow’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Bank of England is likely to decide to keep interest rates where they are: 0.5%, the level they have been at for most of the decade since the banking crisis.

Opinion

Northern Ireland’s growth dwindles away

12 April 2018

NISRA published it's latest data about Northern Ireland’s economic growth in 2017 on Thursday and the results make for uncomfortable reading.

Opinion

Northern Ireland’s continued productivity shortfall - the latest data

10 April 2018

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its latest data about Northern Ireland sectoral and regional productivity on 6 April.

Opinion

The 1998 Belfast Agreement and the Economy

30 March 2018

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 1998 political agreement there is an understandable interest in how the economy has performed over the last 20 years.

Opinion

Some progress in NI labour market but still a mixed picture

23 March 2018

Wednesday’s data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) show continued decline in unemployment to 3.2% in the quarter November 2017-January 2018.

External Media

Changes to the Northern Ireland economy since the Belfast Agreement

20 March 2018

Twenty years on, the Agreement has obviously been very important in political terms but how much difference has it made to Northern Ireland’s economic life?

Opinion

Decline in inflation: Motoring becomes a bit cheaper but shoes are more pricey

20 March 2018

Tuesday’s data from the Office for National Statistics show that consumer prices increased by 2.7% in the year to February.

Opinion

NI and the UK Spring Statement: Reasonable short term prospects but longer term much less clear

13 March 2018

Last Autumn Chancellor Hammond indicated that instead of two major fiscal events each year, he would consolidate this into a main Budget each Autumn and a Spring Statement each March.