Intra-Group Competition and Inter-Group Conflict: An Application to Northern Ireland

This paper reviews four economic theories of leadership selection in conflictual settings. The first of these by Cukierman and Tomassi (1998) labeled the ‘information rationale’, argues that hawks may actually be necessary to initiate peace agreements. The second labeled the ‘bargaining rationale’ borrowing from Hamlin and Jennings (2007) agrees with the conventional wisdom that doves are more likely to secure peace, but post-conflict there are good reasons for hawks to be rationally selected. The third found in Jennings and Roelfsema (2008) is labeled the social psychological rationale. This captures the idea of a competition over which group can form the strongest identity, so can apply to group choices which do not impinge upon bargaining power. As in the bargaining rationale, dove selection can be predicted during conflict, but hawk selection post-conflict. Finally, the expressive rationale is discussed which predicts that regardless of the underlying structure of the game (informational, bargaining, psychological) the large group nature of decision-making by making individual decision makers non-decisive in determining the outcome of elections may cause them to make choices based primarily on emotions which may be invariant with the mode of group interaction, be it conflictual or peaceful. Finally, the paper analyses the extent to which the theories can throw light on Northern Ireland electoral history over the last 25 years.

IPH response to A Healthier Future: A 20 year vision for health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland aims to promote cooperation for public health between Northern Ireland and Ireland, to tackle inequalities in health and influence public polices in favour of health. In its work, the Institute emphasises a holistic model of health which recognises the interplay of a wide range of health determinants, including economic, social and environmental factors as well as health and social services.

DETERMINE Working document #4 'Economic arguments for addressing social determinants of health inequalities'

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) is a partner in the European project DETERMINE, building on its previous involvement in the Closing the Gap project in 2004-2006. In Year 2 the DETERMINE project  focused on identifying and exploring economic arguments to support action on social determinants of health inequalities.  Working document #4 'Economic arguments for addressing social determinants of health inequalities' presents the findings.

Facing the challenge: The impact of the recession and unemployment on men's health in Ireland

The economic recession with its accompanying rise in unemployment rates is linked to extremely adverse effects for men’s mental health. This research report Facing the Challenge – The Impact of the Recession and Unemployment on Men’s Health in Ireland identifies a strong expectation of increased mental health problems for men given the very strong correlation between unemployment and male mental ill health. The report is the result of a research and consultation process carried out, in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, by Nexus Research Co-operative on behalf of IPH. 93% of frontline organisations, North and South, in contact with unemployed men linked health challenges to unemployment and recession and all organisations surveyed noted adverse health challenges for men they work with. In addition to health challenges being higher for unemployed men, they were also very high for men who saw themselves as being threatened with unemployment. The organisations surveyed and the men who were interviewed identified the challenges to health as:•    High levels of stress or anxiety•    Dependency on or over-use of alcohol/other drugs•    Deterioration in physical health•    Development of conflict in family or close personal relationships•    Isolation (including sharing or communicating problems)•    A reluctance to approach services or seek help

Consideration of health in Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) on the island of Ireland

This IPH report explores the extent health was incorporated into SEA in a manner which would suggest a good understanding of the many social and economic factors which strongly influence health. The research identifies that a consideration of health is not routinely included in SEAs. There is a need to build capacity and change mindsets in how SEAs are undertaken to more completely factor in the health impacts.

IPH Response to draft Northern Ireland Programme for Government 2011-15

On 17 November 2011, the First Minister and deputy First Minister published the draft Programme for Government 2011-2015 for consultation. IPH recognise that health is influenced by a wide range of social determinants, including economic, biological, environmental and cultural factors such as housing, the environment, income, employment and access to education and health services . Improvements to health can be achieved through a well-designed PfG which addresses the economy, creates safer communities and delivers efficient public services.  IPH welcome this opportunity to submit our views to the Northern Ireland Executive on the Draft Programme for Government 2011-15. Key points from the IPH response include: • Northern Ireland has a poor population health status in key areas when compared to other regions in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland. IPH support and particularly welcome allocation of an increased proportion of the Northern Ireland budget to public health. • IPH endorses the perspective in the PfG that good population health makes a central contribution to economic and social development.   However we would welcome greater acknowledgement of the links between social deprivation and health outcomes.  • IPH welcomes the adoption of a social determinants of health approach to improving population health and tackling health inequalities which is in line with current health policy and recent policy developments across the United Kingdom and internationally (See report of the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH))

Extra healthy years or just extra years? What can we know from the data we have on the island of Ireland?

As life expectancy continues to rise, the prevalence of chronic conditions is increasing in our society. However, we do not know if the extra years of life gained are being spent with disability and illness, or in good health. Furthermore, it is unclear if all groups in society experience their extra years of life in the same way. This report examines patterns of health expectancies across the island of Ireland, examining any North-South and socio-economic differences as well looking at differences in data sources. The older population (aged 65 or over) on the island of Ireland is growing and becoming a larger percentage of the total  population. Republic of Ireland Census 2011 revealed that 12% of the RoI population was aged 65 or over (CSO, 2012), and Northern Ireland Census 2011 revealed that 13% of the NI population was aged 65 or over (NISRA, 2012). By 2041 the population aged 65 or over is projected to reach 22% in RoI and 24% in NI (McGill, 2010). It is unclear, however, if this increasing longevity will be enjoyed equally by all strata of society.

A Health Economics Model. The cost benefits of the Physical Activity Strategy for Northern Ireland - a summary of key findings

This summary report follows on from the publication of the Northern Ireland physical activity strategy in 1996 and the subsequent publication of the strategy action plan in 1998. Within this strategy action plan a recommendation was made for the health sector, that research should be carried out to evaluate and compare the cost of investing in physical activity programmes against the cost of treating preventable illness. To help in the development of this key area, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's Economics Branch agreed to develop a model that would seek to establish the extent of avoidable deaths from physical inactivity and, as a consequence, the avoidable economic and healthcare costs for Northern Ireland.

Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care Settings in Ireland

The quality of life of older people in all care settings is a primary concern of the National Council on Ageing and Older People (NCAOP); a concern echoed by the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) in its recent report Care for Older Peoplein which it stated that â?~enhancing quality of life of older people in different settings should be a key policy priorityâ?T (NESF, 2005). Read the Report (PDF, 3.25mb) Read the Report on Conference Proceedings (PDF. 484kb)

Creating Excellence in Dementia Care: A Research Review for Ireland's National Dementia Strategy

Dementia is a progressive condition that largely affects older people, impacting on their memory, language, ability to communicate, mood and personality. The course of the illness may be gradual and sometimes subtle, as is classically the case in Alzheimerâ?Ts disease. While dementia is a medical condition, recent insights from the psychosocial, sociopolitical and public health perspectives have focused attention on the human, social and economic implications of the disease.   Click here to download PDF 2.7mb

Value for Money and Policy Review of the Economic Cost and Charges Associated with Private and Semi-Private Treatment Services in Public Hospitals - Final Report

This Value for Money and Policy Review (VFM&PR) of the Economic Cost and Charges Associated with Private and Semi-Private Treatment Services in Public Hospitals was initiated by the Department of Health and Children in June 2009 and was conducted under the auspices of the Governmentâ?Ts Value for Money & Policy Review Initiative 2009-2011. The Review was overseen by an independently chaired National Steering Group comprised of senior representatives from the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Finance, and the Health Service Executive (HSE). Download document here Download Explanatory Note  

Value for Money and Policy Review of the Economic Cost and Charges Associated with Private and Semi-Private Treatment Services in Public Hospitals - Interim Report

This report sets out a revised costing methodology and an estimate of the gap which currently exists between private and semi-private bed charges and the average economic cost. While the Steering Group considers the costing methodology proposed as an improvement on the approach taken in previous years and a good overall approximation of the difference on average between economic costs and current charges, it recognises that the current charging regime does not take sufficient account of the variation between different categories of patient. Download document here Note to Readers

Northern Ireland antimicrobial guidelines for primary care 2010

This bookletprovides a simplified approach to the treatment of common infections,promotes the safe, effective and economic use of antibiotics, andaims to minimise the emergence of bacterial resistance in the community.

Standard of Healthy Living on the Island of Ireland

Pre-requisites for health are equity, minimum income, nutrition, peace, water, sanitation, housing, education, work, political will and public support (WHO, 1986). It has long been known that social disadvantage harms health (Black, 1980, Ettner, 1996). Many researchers have documented that those in lower socio-economic groups are more at risk of developing major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (Beaglehole and Yach, 2003, WHO, 2003a), diabetes (Wilder et al., 2005), and some cancers (Brunner et al., 1993, Strong et al., 2005), and are at a higher risk of having multiple risk factors associated with these diseases (Lynch et al., 1997). The living standards that many people enjoy and the behavioural choices they make are heavily determined by their access to resources such as income, wealth, goods and services (O’Flynn and Murphy, 2001). The most prominent explanation between disadvantage and health is that lack of resources restricts access to the fundamental conditions of health such as adequate housing (Macintyre et al., 2003, Macintyre et al., 2005), good nutrition (Nelson et al., 2002) and opportunities to participate in society (McDonough et al., 2005). Each of these issues are very much influenced by material and structural factors inherent to and determined by fiscal, social and health policy (Graham and Kelly, 2004, Milio, 1986).

A Carbon Tax for Ireland

The Programme for Government 2007-2012 states that '[a]ppropriate fiscal instruments, including a carbon levy, will be phased in on a revenue-neutral basis over the lifetime of this Government.' The terms of reference of the Commission on Taxation repeats the commitment to introduce measures to further lower carbon emissions and to phase in on a revenue neutral basis appropriate fiscal measures including a carbon levy over the lifetime of the Government and invites the Commission to [i]nvestigate fiscal measures to protect and enhance the environment including the introduction of a carbon tax. This paper presents thoughts and considerations about such a carbon tax. It discusses selected design issues, and presents a preliminary impact assessment for what the authors think is a reasonable design. More specifically, It addresses ten questions: 1. Why impose a carbon tax? 2. What level should the tax be? 3. Who should be taxed? 4. What is the expected revenue? 5. What to do with the revenue? 6. What are the macro-economic implications? 7. What are the effects on emissions? 8. What are the effects on income distribution? 9. How to tax internationally traded goods and services? 10. What about fuel tourism? On some of these questions, it presents arguments and evidence. Other questions call for further research. Aspects of some questions can only be answered by the Dail �ireann.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.