The Department of Economics, NUI Galway is a research-intensive department with a number of scholars of international renown, and other researchers with growing national and international reputations. The research interests of the faculty members in economics are diverse, ranging from the purely theoretical to topically applied sub-disciplines. However, such diversity is tempered by a conscious effort made by all faculty members to attempt fruitful cross-fertilization with colleagues in the form of collaborative research which, ultimately, has policy oriented implications with sound theoretical foundations. Specializations include: health economics and the economics of ageing; sustainability, rural development and environmental modelling; economic history and political economy; and macroeconomics and international finance. Several faculty members are nationally and internationally recognised academic leaders in the above fields, with highly cited publications in leading journals. Several members of the Department are, simultaneously, directors or senior members of national and international research centres. Furthermore, staff members also act as senior members of a range of national and European policy organizations.
The Department has identified the following areas as its priority research areas:
1. Health Economics
The Department has established expertise in the economics of ageing. This was recognized by the establishment of the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG) in 2005. The ICSG is directed by Professor Eamon O'Shea and seven full-time researchers have been hired to conduct research in the centre. ICSG research covers issues such as economics and disability, dementia, rural ageing, technology for independent living, and end-of-life care. The Department has also established the first Chair in Health Technology Assessment in Ireland which has been filled by Professor Ciaran O'Neill. The Department has considerable expertise in the application of micro econometric techniques to health and related issues and has also established a strong reputation in the economics of mental health.
2. Sustainability, Rural Development, and Environmental Modelling
Several individuals in the Department have been at the forefront of research on environmental economics and rural development in Ireland and Europe for more than 15 years. The objective has been and remains to develop innovative theoretical and applied research work in the field of environmental sustainability and to work towards the improvement of rural life and civic society more generally. There are a number of key research groups within this area including the Irish Centre for Rural Transformation and Sustainabiity (ICERTS), the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Research Unit (ENRE), the Socioeconomic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) and the Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (CISC). Topics researched include ecological services valuation, marine resources modelling and management, agricultural modelling, conservation of biodiversity, and governance and social capital. Funding sources include the Department of Agriculture (Stimulus Fund), the Marine Institute (Beaufort Scheme), PRTLI and a number of EU framework projects. There are about 20 PhD students carrying out research in this area in the Department.
3. International Finance and Macroeconomics
The Department is rapidly building expertise in the areas of international finance and macroeconomics. This growth is reflected in both the increased output of internationally recognised research and the growing number of PhD students in these areas. In 2007, the Department successfully launched a new postgraduate degree in International Finance - the only programme of its kind in Ireland. The Department has also been involved in the B.Sc. in Financial Mathematics and Economics since its inception. Additional new programmes in finance and macroeconomics are under consideration. By continuing to built its reputation for high-quality research on macroeconomic policy, the Department is positioning itself to compete strongly for national and international research funding in this area. The Department's activities also allow it to contribute significantly to the financial services industry, which has been identified by the Irish government as one of the key avenues for the delivery of high value-added jobs and a crucial sector in the further development of Ireland's knowledge-based economy. Future research programmes will involve collaboration with other disciplines in the Cairnes School and elsewhere in the university, and with financial services companies at a local and national level.
4. Mathematical Economics, Methodology of Economics and Political Economy
The Department has a very active research group in this area whose work has been published in leading international journals as well as in monographs and books. In particular, the Department has internationally recognized experts in the fields of non-linear dynamical systems, philosophy and methodology of economics, social choice theory, and political economy. Their work complements the work of their colleagues in the other priority research areas. The Department has a considerable number of PhD students working on research topics in political economy, social choice theory, and methodology of economics whose research has been funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Follow the links to find out more about the research activities in our department and check out the Personnel section of the web site for information about the research interests of individual academics:
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