SPIRe’s Dr. Niamh Hardiman has a recent post on Crooked Timber about the politics of Ireland’s austerity politics here,and an article that expands on this in the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Intereonomics here.
SPIRe’s Week two seminar will feature Dr. Iseult Honahan presenting on her paper “Toleration and non-domination” from 12:00-13:00 Wednesday, January 30th in G316 Newman Building, UCD Belfield. All are welcome.
Abstract
The need for toleration is understood to derive from disagreements that arise from
religious and cultural diversity. While a number of different justifications can be
offered for toleration, the value of freedom is one of the most significant. This chapter
focuses on the specific conception of freedom as non-domination, rather than on other
conceptions such as non-interference or autonomy, and seeks to examine what light
can be thrown by this conception on the way in which contemporary states should
deal with issues arising from the fact of religious and cultural diversity. It considers
whether there is a place for toleration in the strict sense of ‘allowing something with
which one disagrees’, which has been criticised as paradoxical, out-moded and
dominating. It argues that freedom as non-domination grounds a conception of secure
toleration that avoids these criticisms, while requiring some elements that are
normally associated with respect and recognition.
SPIRe is pleased to announce an EXTRA Seminar series, welcoming Professor Timothy Finan of the University of Arizona to present a talk on “Sweatshops and Snakebites: Cautionary Tales of Climate Change Adaptation in Northeast Brazil.” from 13:00-14:00 this Friday, January 25th in G317, Newman Building, UCD Belfield. All are welcome to attend.
Abstract
The vast semi-arid hinterland of the state of Ceará has suffered for centuries from frequent and severe drought, a pattern that is projected to worsen under increased desiccation due to climate change. This paper presents a methodology that compares the localized impacts of drought with the corresponding social impact. Using anomalies between Nature-Society, the analysis seeks to identify where local adaptation to climate is occurring due to either changes in livelihood characteristics or to public policy. Ultimately the analysis assesses the impacts of governance on adaptation to environmental stress.
SPIRe’s Dr. Tamir Libel will launch the SPIRe spring seminar series with his presentation entitled “De-constructing the (Post) Modern Military: The Operational Theory Research Institute as a Case of Sociology of Intervention” on Wednesday January 23 from 12:00-13:00 in G316 Newman Building, UCD Belfield.
Abstract
During the 1980s,Western militaries began developing operational-level doctrine and
training. Nearly a decade later, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) began to experiment
with similar ideas. The present Fresh Perspective will examine one: the IDF, the Operational Theory Research Institute (OTRI), and its failure.
SPIRe is please to announce its Spring 2013 Seminar Series. The series will feature 12 seminars, 10 of which focus on the recent work of SPIRe faculty and students. Two additional events will see SPIRe host Dr. Daniel Butt of Bristol University and assist in the hosting of a European Commission/UNDP Kapuscinski Development Lecture. This term’s lectures will feature Wednesdays from 12:00-13:00, are open to all, and will include light refreshments.
Dr. Michael Anderson of SPIRe’s Institute for British-Irish Studies argues that the Irish government must help to end the flag protests in a recent op-ed at thejournal.ie.
SPIRe’s Prof. Paul Walsh will speak on “Global economic growth and global food: prices – implications for food security” tomorrow (January 15th) from 10:15-11:00 at the “Feeding the World in 2050: A Policy Symposium” being held at UCD’s O’Reilly hall from 9:00 January 15th to 12:50 January 16th. Full details on the symposium can be found here.
SPIRe’s Dr. Niamh Hardiman considers some home truths about the Euro crisis in a recent post at crookedtimber.org.
8/9 February 2013
Dr. Garret FitzGerald had a pronounced impact on Ireland not only as an active politician but as a thinker and commentator. An annual series of ‘Spring Schools’ named in his honour was initiated by UCD in 2012, co-sponsored by the Irish Times, with the first focused on Democracy in the 21st. Century.
The second Spring School in this series, on the theme ‘Ireland in Europe After 40 Years’, is being held on 8-9 February 2013, looking back on the 40 years since Ireland, together with the UK and Denmark, joined the (then) EEC, highlighting current challenges and debating the best ways forward. This topic, to which Garret FitzGerald devoted so much of his formidable energy, remains central to Ireland’s economic and social development; the series aims to deepen reflection and debate on how best to build on his legacy.
This years Garrett FitzGerald Spring School opens at 6pm on Friday, 8 February in the Quinn School, Belfield, with a talk by Professor Patrick Honohan, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, followed by a reception.
It continues on Saturday 9 February in Newman House, St Stephen’s Green, with sessions of talks by a set of invited speakers and ample scope for discussion and debate:
Professor Brigid Laffan of UCDs School of Politics and International Relations will open with Garret Fitzgerald: Positioning Ireland in the EEC.
Professor William Paterson of the University of Aston will contrast Irish and UK experiences and attitudes to Europe in A Tale of Two Islands.
Niels Ersbøll, former Secretary General of the European Council, will talk from that perspective and about the experience of Denmark, the other new member state from 1973.
Professor Maurizio Ferrera of the University of Milan will talk about approaches to social policy in Europe, in particular contrasting welfare models with social investment models.
Professor John FitzGerald of the Economic and Social Research Institute will talk about economic aspects of Irelands experience over the period of membership and into the future.
Finally, Dr. Rory ODonnell of the National Economic and Social Council will talk about semi-sovereignty and the relationship between success in Europe and domestic institutional reform.
There is no charge for attendance, but those intending to do so should register their interest by e-mailing anne.murphy@ucd.ie as soon as possible. A full programme will be circulated shortly.
SPIRe’s Dr. Niamh Hardiman examines “Fiscal Politics In Time: Pathways to Fiscal Consolidation, 1980-2012” in a recent working paper with co-author Sebastian Dellepiane of the University of Strathclyde. Abstract below:
The comparative study of debt and fiscal consolidation has acquired a new focus in the wake of the global financial crisis. This leads us to re-evaluate the literature on fiscal consolidation that flourished during the 1980s and 1990s. The conventional approach segments episodes of fiscal change into discrete observations. We argue that this misses the dynamic features of government strategy, especially in the choices made between expenditure-based and revenue-based fiscal consolidation strategies. We propose a focus on pathways rather than episodes of adjustment, to recapture what Pierson terms ‘politics in time’. A case-study approach facilitates analysis of complex causality that includes the structures of interest intermediation, the role of ideas in shaping the set of feasible policy choices, and the situation of national economies in the international political economy. We support our argument with qualitative data based on two case studies, Ireland and Greece, and with additional paired comparisons of Ireland with Britain, and Greece with Spain.
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