IIEA Talks

In her address to the IIEA, Jillian York outlines how the internet transformed the ability of citizens to contribute to public discourse, especially for citizens living under authoritarian regimes. However, the internet has also facilitated the spread of harmful content such as disinformation and hate speech. Ms York discusses how platform companies, democratic governments, and authoritarian regimes are responding with increased moderation and censorship of the internet. She also assesses the negative consequences that can result and explains how citizens can respond. About the Speaker Jillian C. York is the Director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a fellow at the Center for Internet & Human Rights at the European University Viadrina, and a visiting professor at the College of Europe Natolin. She is the author of Silicon Values: The Future of Free Speech Under Surveillance Capitalism published by Verso in 2021.

'Ireland-US ties: present and future' In the eleventh episode of IIEA Insights, IIEA Chief Economist Dan O’Brien, sits down with retired Irish diplomat Dan Mulhall, who most recently served as Ireland’s Ambassador to the US, to discuss Ireland-US ties, America’s domestic politics, political polarisation and next year’s presidential election.

Image courtesy of UN Photo. IIEA Researcher, Leanne Digney, talks to Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Fergal Mythen, who shares his reflections on Ireland’s challenges and achievements during its term as an elected member of the Security Council 2021-2022. This interview is part of the Global Europe podcast series which is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs

On this occasion, Professor Emily Shuckburgh, Director of Cambridge Zero and Professor of Environmental Data Science at the University of Cambridge delivers a keynote address to the IIEA. This event is part of the Environmental Resilience series, which is supported by the EPA. About the Speaker: Professor Emily Shuckburgh is Director of Cambridge Zero, the University of Cambridge's major climate change initiative. She is also Professor of Environmental Data Science at the Department of Computer Science and Technology. She is a mathematician and climate scientist and a Fellow of Darwin College, a Fellow of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Science and Policy, a Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey, and a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. She worked for more than a decade at the British Antarctic Survey where her work included leading a UK national research programme on the Southern Ocean and its role in climate. Prior to that, she undertook research at École Normale Supérieure in Paris and at MIT. She has also acted as an advisor on climate to the UK Government in various capacities, including as a Friend of COP26. In 2016, she was awarded an OBE for services to science and the public communication of science. She is co-author with HM King Charles III and Tony Juniper of the Ladybird Book on Climate Change.

In his address to the IIEA, Irish Times Berlin Correspondent, Derek Scally, assesses the first year in office of Germany’s "traffic light" coalition. Against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and challenges to energy security, Chancellor Scholz’s government has had to adapt its programme for government. Many ambitious plans have taken a backseat in the face of urgent policy issues. Mr Scally examines the government’s progress in responding to the unforeseen challenges presented in 2022, both from a national perspective and in its role as a leading EU member state. About the Speaker:  Derek Scally is a native Dubliner, who studied at Dublin City University and the Humboldt University in Berlin, where he has been Irish Times correspondent since 2001. Covering politics, business and culture, he is a regular contributor to German news outlets, including Die Zeit weekly and Deutschlandfunk/WDR radio. He reports regularly from northern Europe and is also author of “The Best Catholics in the World”, published in 2021 by Penguin.

At this YPN Christmas Special, the IIEA welcomes nationally renowned former RTÉ News newscaster Eileen Dunne, and Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Professor of Politics in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU), Mark Tighe, Legal Correspondent of The Sunday Independent and co-author of the award-winning book, ‘Champagne Football’, and Patrick Costello TD, Green Party Spokesperson for Justice. On this occasion, Eileen Dunne, who recently retired following a distinguished 42-year career in RTÉ, provides her analysis of the events of the year and reflect on her career in RTÉ, which led to her becoming a familiar face in sitting rooms all across Ireland and a national treasure.   Professor Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Professor of Politics at DCU, and one of Ireland’s leading experts on the geopolitics of Eastern Europe, provides his expert analysis of the event which became the most consequential development in international affairs of the year: Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.   Mark Tighe, Legal Correspondent of The Sunday Independent, and co-author of the award-winning book ‘Champagne Football’, assesses the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as well as the controversy caused by associated human rights issues within the country.   Patrick Costello TD, Green Party Spokesperson for Justice, discusses his successful Supreme Court case taken in respect of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada, and reflects upon domestic political developments during the year.

Immersive technologies – such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Metaverse technologies – are widely expected to have profound economic and social implications. This expert panel discusses the opportunities and challenges presented by these technologies. The panel explores what policymakers need to know about these technologies in order to regulate, protect consumers and establish policies that promote growth and innovation. The panel also considers how Ireland could position itself to be a frontrunner in this emerging field of technology. This event is part of a series organised by the IIEA and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Ireland to explore key digital policy issues relevant to Ireland and follows the ‘Digital Ireland Conference’ which took place in Dublin Castle in November. About the Speakers: Dr Martha Boeckenfeld, Dean of the Metaverse Academy Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap Niall Campion, Managing Director of VRAI

In her address to the IIEA, for the eighth lecture of the 2022 Development Matters series, supported by Irish Aid, Professor Carmen Reinhart discusses debt in developing nations. External debt is one of the key challenges for developing nations in achieving the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The convergence of three crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and increased climate related disasters have jeopardised economic growth and progress in developing nations. Professor Reinhart offers insight into the current debt situation in developing nations and explores the challenges of financing this debt. Professor Reinhart examines debt levels which grew exponentially during the pandemic, the lack of transparency of the terms of debt restructuring, and the implications of exposure to foreign debt liability. About the Speaker: Carmen Reinhart is the Minos A. Zombanakis Professor of the International Financial System at Harvard Kennedy School. From 2020-2022 she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at The World Bank Group. Her work has helped to inform the understanding of financial crises in both advanced economies and emerging markets. Her best-selling book (with Kenneth S. Rogoff) entitled This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly documents the striking similarities of the recurring booms and busts that have characterised financial history. She is an elected member of the Group of Thirty and is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Professor Reinhart is ranked among the top economists worldwide according to Research Papers in Economics (RePec).

The fourth episode of the Global Europe podcast series, Back to the Future – Ireland and the EU at 50, was moderated by IIEA Global Europe Researcher, Emily Binchy, on the future of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the journey of the CAP from Ireland’s accession to the European Economic Community in 1972 to the new CAP 2023-2027. This discussion featured Tom Arnold, former Chief Economist of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Chair of the Irish Governmental initiative Food Vision 2030, and Tom Moran, Chair of the Board of Kerry Group and former Secretary General in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

This event, which commemorates the Department of Finance’s 100th Anniversary and was co-organised by the IIEA, the Department of Finance, and the OECD, examines what the OECD Economic Survey means for Ireland. Part 1: Presentation on the Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare by Dr Colm O’Reardon, Secretary to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare Part 2: Panel discussion and Q&A on the Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare featuring Colm Kelly, Global Leader, Corporate Sustainability at PwC International, Dr Martina Lawless, Research Professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), and Dr Colm O’Reardon, Secretary to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare