Nat O'Connor: The TCD Policy Institute recently published a volume by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice and Dr Micheál Collins, which examines the 'minimum essential' budgets required by different household types. The Vincentians have been working on this kind of study for a number of years, and a copy of the report can be found under publications on budgeting.ie.
I think Dan O'Brien rather unfairly criticises the report in his Irish Times editorial. He argues that taxpayers’ money should not have funded the research, and that "Impartiality and objectivity are hallmarks of academic research. Publishing the views of a lobbyist blurs the line, thereby undermining TCD's credibility."
In fairness, one of the authors, Micheál Collins, was working as an academic member of staff at TCD at the time of receiving the grant. If anything, his work on the report has helped document the method and findings in a more academically rigorous way. Money was not being given to lobbyists, as Dan O'Brien portrays it.
Every piece of research comes from implicit or explicit normative assumptions. What matters is whether or not the method is robust and the evidence is clearly visible so that others can make alternative interpretations of the same data. In fairness to this study, it is based on an established, qualitative method involving focus groups who discuss what they regard as a reasonable standard of living and it does provide quite a lot of detail about the weekly costs they regard as 'minimum' broken down under a range of headings.
This standard of living does involve more than survival and includes a modest degree of "social inclusion and participation". However, Appendix A shows what is involved in minimum social participation remains frugal. For example, the €12.66 per week in a family budget for socialising is based on ten social events per adult each year. The researchers then go to the local shops and services and check out the prices to pay for the list.
What the report highlights is that, unsurprisingly, a great number of people on modest incomes in Ireland do not have an income sufficient to meet a 'minimum essential' budget. In particular, families with children in a number of cases have insufficient incomes. Moreover, it is of concern that a single person working full-time on the minimum wage also cannot afford an essential budget.
However, some households do have sufficient income. For example, a pensioner couple's income from the non-contributory state pension is sufficient to cover their minimum essentials because of the range of other non-cash supports, like fuel allowance, free travel and medical card. That's a useful validation of the welfare system and hardly a 'lobbyist' perspective.
What is missing from the report is a more full exposition of the costs. The publication notes that grocery prices are typically based on the least expensive supermarket 'own brand' items, but we only see aggregates and it would be useful to see item-by-item breakdowns; I imagine that this would be of particular use to the Department of Social Protection and services like MABS who advise people on how to budget their income. It should also be of interest to businesses to see evidence of market niches for cheaper goods and services.
The focus on weekly itemised expenditure is also of value because it highlights in very tangible terms how vulnerable household budgets are to relatively small ‘shocks’, like medical expenses or the costs of a funeral. What happens in reality is that people on low incomes are particularly badly insulated against such one-off expenses and these can lead to the use of moneylenders. In 2007 (latest survey) more than one in five people had difficulty accessing banking facilities (i.e. getting a basic bank account). This gap is filled for people on the lowest incomes by “52 licensed moneylenders in Ireland, 36 of whom operate ‘doorstep collection’ businesses” and who can charge over 150 per cent interest on small loans. See TASC (2010) Life and Debt.
The issue of one-off 'shocks' emphasises the importance of non-cash supports as 'shock-absorbers'; such as the medical card or social housing. These help people to cope with sudden expenses, without having to use up any savings they might have or take a loan. The study also usefully opens the door to more in-depth examination of where non-cash supports can help people get by without getting into debt.
Dr Nat O'Connor @natpolicy
Nat O’Connor is lecturer in social policy in UCD’s School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice and part-time policy specialist at Age Action Ireland. Previously Director of TASC, Nat also led the research team in Dublin’s Homeless Agency.
He has taught politics and social policy since 1999. He has a PhD in Political Science from Trinity College Dublin and a MA in Political Science and Social Policy from the University of Dundee. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK), a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) and chairperson of the Irish Social Policy Association (ISPA). You can find him on LinkedIn (natoconnor) and TwitterX @natpolicy
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