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The Economy of Ireland B

Module Code: ECU22022

Module Title: Economy of Ireland B

• ECTS Weighting: 5
• Semester/Term Taught: Semester 2
• Contact Hours: 22 academic hours (i.e. 50 minutes) of lectures and approximately 4 academic hours of tutorials
• Module Personnel: Lecturer - Professor Francis O'Toole and Teaching Assistant(s)

Module Learning Aims

This module aims to:

• provide those with a fundamental level of economics (e.g. ECU11011 & ECU11012 or equivalent) with an understanding of the Irish economy and public policy-making; 
• show how various pressures and policies shape the development of the Irish economy;
• economically interpret and evaluate public policy making in Ireland and elsewhere; and,
• facilitate the use of clear and concise language that is required for understanding economics and policy making.

Module Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

• identify the key outcomes of interest for economic policymakers in Ireland and the primary tools used to achieve those outcomes
• interpret and analyse public/social policy phenomena in Ireland and elsewhere; and
• evaluate public policy making in Ireland and elsewhere.

Module Content

The issue of market provision and/or state provision provides a central and recurring theme in this module. Within each policy area covered, the module investigates market failure and government failure, via for example consideration of externalities, informational problems and an examination of the public choice perspective with respect to possible government failure. Specific topics expected to be covered include: regulated markets; inequality; regulation (e.g. ‘nudging’); taxation; competition; care (paid and unpaid); education; and, health.

Recommended Reading List

John O’Hagan, Francis O'Toole and Ciara Whelan (eds) The Economy of Ireland: Policy Making in a Global Context (14th edition; Bloomsbury, Dublin, August 2021) is the primary textbook. The following books provide useful background reading:

• Julian Le Grand, Carol Propper and Sarah Smith, The Economics of Social Problems, 4th Edition, palgrave macmillan, 2008.
• Michael Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets, Penguin Books, 2012.
• Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, Nudge, Penguin Books, 2009.

Other suggested reading materials will be highlighted during the module.

Module Pre-Requisite

Introduction to Economics (e.g. ECU11011 & ECU11012 or equivalent). A small number of students allowed to take the module may not have taken the pre-requisite or equivalent, but they are expected to prepare/react appropriately, i.e. read the appropriate Introduction to Economics material.

Module Co-Requisite

ECU22022 The Economy of Ireland B may be a co-requisite for students in some programmes.

Assessment Details

It is envisaged that the allocation of assessment marks will be as follows:

• 40 per cent for a mid-term assignment to be submitted by the start of Teaching Week 8 (details to be confirmed); and,
• 60 per cent for a final F2F examination.

Module Website

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