Posts by Robert Sweeney

Robert Sweeney @sweeneyr82

Robert Sweeney is a policy analyst at TASC and focuses on issues surrounding Irish political economy and distribution. He has a PhD in economics from University of Leeds, which concentrated on financial markets and investors, banking, international macroeconomics, and housing. He is also interested in debates on alternative schools and methodology in economics, and ownership.

Fiscal Rules Update

Robert Sweeney 15/05/2023

Last month the EU Commission released a communication on the fiscal rules that would, if implemented, have major implications for Europe. It would make it very difficult for EU member states to meet emissions targets while also signalling an end to the recent dalliance with fiscal expansionism. Without recapping the ins and outs of the fiscal …

On Economics

Robert Sweeney 08/05/2023

President Higgins’ comments on economics made a bit of a kerfuffle. He criticised, among other things, an obsession with economic growth, the …

Fiscal Rules Reform

Robert Sweeney 17/11/2022

On Wednesday last week, the European Commission published a communication on the future trajectory of the Fiscal Rules, which have been suspended …

Planning to freeze this winter

Robert Sweeney 08/09/2022

Much of the public’s attention in recent times has been focused on Ireland’s cost of living, in one form or another. For the last few years it …

Is there a progressive approach to construction viability?

Robert Sweeney 03/05/2022

Global inflation has been hitting most of us hard. It has the potential to derail, or at least wobble, Ireland's recovering housing market. The claim …

Supply and demand in housing

Robert Sweeney 19/10/2021

With the ongoing affordability problem, Housing for All, the recent budget, and more the housing issue isn’t going away any time soon. A regular …

Childcare: time for a new model

Robert Sweeney 31/03/2021

The pandemic has turned life upside down for everyone; people locked up in their apartments and houses, job losses, income losses, furloughs, lost …

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