Most Irish economic debates pretend to be about numbers. They’re really arguments about structure, particularly who benefits from the upside, and who is left holding the downside when conditions turn. This piece reviews Eoin Lenihan’s Vandalising Ireland.

My fourth substack looks at housing policy as inequality policy. Next week's piece is a review of Eoin Lenihan's Vandalising Ireland. stephenkinsella.substack.com/p/housing-po...

My third substack (is that a noun?) is on what I've learned in needing to get to the point faster and a great book that helped me get there. open.substack.com/pub/stephenk...

Ten reasons to be optimistic in 2026 open.substack.com/pub/stephenk...

Decided to set up a substack, first post is about strategies for reading more: stephenkinsella.substack.com/p/how-i-acci...

It's that time of year again when I remind us all of the greatest Christmas song. You are all very welcome. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNv...

Watch this. You'll feel much better. It's a video we made tracing one student's journey through Immersive Software Engineering, and it is great. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWmm...

We are hiring a new Professorship in my Department, the Kemmy Chair in Economics. We’re looking for stellar applicants to lead the Department’s development in the coming years. Closing date is Feb 27, 2026. Details here: my.corehr.com/pls/esbsheul...

If, like me, you mostly give books for presents, you’ll want to read this. Not a flat recommendation list but a set of strategies for how to give. I’m going to steal the BBC short story one. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

You will be visited by three spirits

Looking forward to editing the special issue of the ESR below. Please share widely! @irisheconassoc.bsky.social @isweconomics.bsky.social @esri.ie @stephenkinsella.bsky.social @beta1hat.bsky.social @bthalpin.bsky.social @phonohan.bsky.social @kevindenny.bsky.social @benelsner.bsky.social

Rare opportunity. We are currently recruiting for a member of our senior leadership team to take forward our work on productivity and growth. Do get in touch if interested. www.resolutionfoundation.org/about-us/opp...

Happy #Budget26 day to all who celebrate.

More chocolate, more Nobel prizes https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/the-curious-wavefunction/chocolate-consumption-and-nobel-prizes-a-bizarre-juxtaposition-if-there-ever-was-one/

This was great fun. Learned a lot too!

Bravo, @kjhealy.co. Bravo. And congrats! kieranhealy.org/blog/archive...

Preach, J. H. Newman.

Looking forward to learning a bit from @gavreilly.com

Policy matters, folks. Bad policies like Brexit have long lasting negative effects.

The Council of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Martina Lawless as the next Director of the ESRI. Read more: www.esri.ie/news/profess...

Great to reconnect with fellow @UL Alumni based in the capital and meet new faces at the Royal Irish Academy last night. Big thank you to @stephenkinsella.bsky.social for the brilliant insights (and hope!) on where the economy is headed and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

For no particular reason, it might be a good time to repost my Starter pack of academic economists who study international trade go.bsky.app/G3dqAYg

Coolness. Stripe's Economics of AI Fellowship. stripe.events/fellowship

Thanks Stephen. We're glad to continue posting here, sharing the latest news and research from across the University. And we have a growing UL Starter Pack in case any of your Followers want to follow other talented academics at UL go.bsky.app/6E5Dav8

I'm really glad @unioflimerick.bsky.social has taken the decision not to post on twitter any more. I have not been there since 2023 but for some reason I find my institution leaving it somehow sadder. Still, it is for the best, and we move on.

Weekend reading sorted! Loved the first one @aspyalone.bsky.social

“…that great struggle towards equality…”

🆕 JOB AD! 🆕 TARIFFS are here. More are coming. Do you love working with DATA and making CHARTS? Do you want to use ECONOMICS in real time? @piie.com is hiring a Research Analyst for International Trade. Come and work for/with me. APPLY today 👉 www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/41...

Five years since I had to work at this. What did your #CovidDesk look like?

We deeply regret the US tariffs imposed on Europe. Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers. Today Europe takes strong but proportionate countermeasures. We remain ready to engage in dialogue ↓

GB Shaw on the Boer War.

One side will have to go.

It was time to donate again to the 🇺🇦 Kyiv School of Economics led by the amazing @tymofiibrik.bsky.social and @mylovanov.bsky.social 🇺🇦 If you want to support KSE in these tough times 👇 foundation.kse.ua/en

Slava Ukraini.

Everyone follow @chadbown.bsky.social who will, I assume, be creating all the trade and tariff charts a person could ever want/need

I’m very glad Trade Talks is back. Missed @chadbown.bsky.social thoughts on this topic. It was a vital listen when trade wasn’t *the* issue of the day and wasn’t my job. So this is just great.

Just got a Daylight computer. Note taking is lovely. The feel/sound/responsiveness is just right. The screen is calming and easy to look at. Paper and kindle reading is easy. It’s a little heavy but it’s also a V1 product. daylightcomputer.com

It's still a lovely feeling. Just published, the first output from our project looking at digital firms, markups and market power, coroporate taxes, and the role intangibles play in driving these dynamics. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Epic macro nerdage. 243 countries, macro data since 1066. www.globalmacrodata.com

If you thought listening to trade nerds was a mood, wait until you meet the payment systems nerds. TARGET2 chats in 2011 come to mind. It’ll be a blast. @dsquareddigest.bsky.social and @thestalwartt.bsky.social should get the gang back together.

I have been reading everything I can find by Claire Keegan. She is a superb writer. Her concision and precision is why she is continually compared, correctly, to Chekhov. This para from her Night of the Quicken Trees in Walk the Blue Fields for example, and his Oysters: ibiblio.org/eldritch/ac/...

With trade policy once again the centre of attention, now seems like a good time to re-share the starter pack of academic economists who study international trade go.bsky.app/G3dqAYg

Physics does not care about our politics, and ultimately the world will continue to warm until we get global emissions of CO2 to (net) zero.

Irish independent Friday, December 4, 1987. Scrap useless Seanad. Young accept bleak future here. Pressure grows to quit work early. Cigarette sales start to level off.

Happy trade t-shirt day @alanbeattie.bsky.social @rajakorman.bsky.social

Ireland’s Programme for Government, 2025: www.finegael.ie/app/uploads/...

🚨📊📚Come work with us at the Social Economics Lab at Harvard starting Summer 2025! If you are interested in taxation, public policy, and attitudes towards a range of important topics, apply here: academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/14607

Another great one from Issawi. On expectations and achievements: In the most favourable circumstances, achievements cannot exceed the square root of expectations.

A reminder, from Issawi's Laws of Social Motion (pg 240: Where you stand depends on where you sit.