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Barra Roantree

@barratree.bsky.social

400 followers 220 following 8 posts

Assistant Professor & Programme Director of MSc in Economic Policy at Trinity College Dublin (https://tinyurl.com/TCDmscep). Previously ESRI, IFS, and UCL.

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Economics 43%

Political science 15%

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Substack

On the Budget and prudence

The budget cannot be prudent, prioritise infrastructure and cut VAT on Big Macs. The Government have been pushing the notion over recent weeks that their plans for the forthcoming Budget are prudent. I had a piece in the weekend edition of the Irish Times arguing - like the ESRI, Fiscal Advisory Council and the Central Bank - that they are anything but.

Reposts 0 11d

Reposted by Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Barra Roantree

Janet Gornick @janetgornick.bsky.social · Aug 7

The GC-CUNY Stone Center invites applications for two postdocs, to join us in NYC Aug 2026-Aug 2028. One focused on wealth, one on intergenerational mobility/poverty. Deadline Nov 3!
@stone-lis.bsky.social @lisdata.bsky.social @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social

stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu/applications...

Applications Are Open for Two Postdoctoral Positions at the GC CUNY Stone Center - Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality

The Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality is seeking applicants for an eighth cohort of postdoctoral scholars. These full-time, two-year positions will begin in August 2026.

stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu

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Substack

In praise of the Local Property Tax

We should be raising far more from the Local Property Tax than we do. Instead, successive governments have eroded and degraded it. The Local Property Tax (LPT) has been in the news following Dublin City Council’s recent decision to end a 15% rebate which it has applied since the tax was introduced in 2013. This has generated some criticism, including from Cllr. Daithí Doolan of Sinn Féin who was

Reposts 0 Aug 6

Reposted by Patrick Honohan, John D. Turner, Karina Doorley , and 1 more Patrick Honohan, John D. Turner, Karina Doorley, Barra Roantree

Rebecca Stuart @rebstuart.bsky.social · Nov 20

I made a starter pack of Irish economists and economists interested in Ireland. It’s still sparse, but I’ll add to it as people join. Let me know if you would like to be added or have any suggestions.

go.bsky.app/UweG3ib

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Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Jul 23

The Government have outlined a broadly sensible approach to public investment in their review of the NDP. But the budget plans for current spending are looking like Charlie McCreevy for slow learners.

Some thoughts at open.substack.com/pub/howtotax...

When I have it, I spend it

The Government's Budget plans are looking like Charlie McCreevy for slow learners

open.substack.com

Substack

When I have it, I spend it

The Government's Budget plans are looking like Charlie McCreevy for slow learners Yesterday saw the publication of the Government’s review of the National Development Plan and Summer Economic Statement. These contained promises to ensure the forthcoming budget “focuses on investment rather than consumption” and set out a longer-term plan “to transform the country, unlock housing, upgrade water and energy infrastructure, deliver more …

Reposts 0 Jul 23

Substack

Our leaders say that “ending child poverty is a defining challenge"

Yet whenever the opportunity comes to translate words into action there is always some higher priority I was asked to contribute an opinion piece to The Irish Times over the weekend, which I wrote on reducing child poverty here in Ireland.

Reposts 0 Jul 7

Reposted by Barra Roantree

Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin @tcdeconomics.bsky.social · May 14

Join us on Monday 26 May for a Virtual Information Session about our MSc in Economic Policy! 📉

📆 Monday 26 May
🕐 13:00-14:00
🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/yvkmwucf

@barratree.bsky.social @esri.ie @tcdssp.bsky.social #econsky #economics

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Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Apr 15

Submission deadline for the 2nd @public-econ-ie.bsky.social workshop extended by a week, so still time to submit your paper or extended abstract at publiceconomics.ie/submit

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Reposted by Barra Roantree

Helen Russell @helen-russell.bsky.social · Mar 4

Worrying trends in school attendance post-Covid in both primary and secondary schools in Ireland. Highest absentee rates in the most disadvantaged school. High levels of school completion have been a real success story but declining attendance &school engagement threatens this

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Reposted by Karl Whelan, Barra Roantree

public-econ-ie.bsky.social @public-econ-ie.bsky.social · Feb 24

We're inviting submissions for the 2nd Irish Public Economics Workshop which will take place on September 1-2 at the
@centralbankireland.bsky.social with a keynote lecture by Prof. @dinapomeranz.bsky.social of @econ.uzh.ch

Details 👇 and submission via publiceconomics.ie/submit

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Substack

Ireland's procedure fetish

Overly stringent procedural requirements are hobbling the state's ability to deliver the infrastructure and housing we need One of the things I listened to over the Christmas was an episode of Ezra Klein’s NYT podcast in which he remarked that the thing he’s changed his mind most about in recent years is:

Reposts 0 Jan 6

Reposted by Barra Roantree

Karina Doorley @karinadoorley.bsky.social · Dec 13

We're hiring a Research Analyst on a fixed-term three year contract. If you are proficient in #microsimulation, interested in tax and welfare policy and want to work at @esri.ie Dublin, this could be the job for you!

candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...

Research Analyst - Taxation, Welfare & Pensions

The ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) is seeking to recruit a Research Analyst on a three-year, fixed-term basis to join its Taxation, Welfare and P

candidate.hr-manager.net

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Reposted by Simon Burgess, Karina Doorley, Alexander Hijzen , and 3 more Simon Burgess, Karina Doorley, Alexander Hijzen, Guido Heineck, Jake Anders, Barra Roantree

Sebastian Königs @sebkoenigs.bsky.social · Dec 4

🚨 We are hiring!

The #OECD is looking to hire one or several Economists / Policy Analysts to work on labour market and social policy, including on #inequalities.

The vacancy is open until 3 January 2025.

Please spread the word, retweet and apply! #EconSky

smrtr.io/pfCMb

Economist(s) / Policy Analyst(s)

Company Description: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation of 38 member countries that works to build better policies for better lives. Our...

smrtr.io

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Reposted by Barra Roantree

Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham @paulgp.com · Dec 4

Just a reminder that @gmcd.bsky.social and @kylefbutts.bsky.social have made an incredible public good describing how to use data.table and fixest to encourage moving from Stata to R!

stata2r.github.io

Translating Stata to R

Learning R coming from Stata

stata2r.github.io

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Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Nov 30

I did not know this! Any good reading on Sankey or his diagram?

Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Nov 30

Tbf they are well catered to by N Richmond who got over a quota

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Reposted by Karina Doorley, Brendan Kennelly, Dieter F. Kogler , and 1 more Karina Doorley, Brendan Kennelly, Dieter F. Kogler, Barra Roantree

The Economic and Social Review @econsocrev.bsky.social · Nov 27

The Economic and Social Review is Ireland's leading journal for economics and applied social science and is now on Bluesky. Please follow and share folks! @orladoyle.bsky.social
@isweconomics.bsky.social @beta1hat.bsky.social @stephenkinsella.bsky.social @morgenrothedgar.bsky.social

sky.social

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Reposted by John D. Turner, Graham Brownlow, Barra Roantree

Ronan Lyons @ronanlyons.bsky.social · Nov 26

Always a pleasure to teach in this amazing building in @tcddublin.bsky.social, even if it's my last time this academic year. One of Dublin's hidden gems.

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Reposted by Barra Roantree

Simone Arrigoni @simonearrigoni.bsky.social · Nov 26

Exciting news! I successfully defended my PhD thesis yesterday at @tcdeconomics.bsky.social ☘️🎉

A huge thanks to the viva commission - Mark Spiegel, Paul Scanlon, @fontananicola.bsky.social - for the invaluable feedback + my supervisors A. Bénétrix & @davideromelli.bsky.social , for their guidance!

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Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Nov 25

“The average tax partner will gain by …”

Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Nov 23

A follow up piece after FG wrote to me clarifying that they were planning less current spending than I’d estimated, revealing a multi-billion fiscal hole in their spending plans. And they are not alone.

open.substack.com/pub/howtotax...

Substack

The parties spending plans (part II)

There is a multi-billion black hole in each of the major parties' spending plans Shortly after The Journal yesterday republished the piece I’d written earlier in the week on the parties’ spending plans, I got an email from the Fine Gael press office to say that while they “felt it was a fair piece overall” they thought I had overstated how much they were planning to spend on current (day-to-day) voted expenditure by 2030.

Reposts 0 Nov 23

Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Nov 21

New post on my Substack about the major parties’ spending plans as outlined in their General Election manifestos: each of them planning very large increases and banking on the glut of corporation tax revenues continuing.

open.substack.com/pub/howtotax...

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Barra Roantree @barratree.bsky.social · Nov 21

Great idea! More folks on than I’d realised!

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Reposted by Karina Doorley, Barra Roantree

Substack

The parties spending plans

Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin all have serious questions to answer on their spending plans After what feels like an eternity, the 2024 General Election campaign is nearing its conclusion with the three largest parties – Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin – having all published their manifestos. These outline a dizzying array of promises (the specifics of which I’m not going to get into in this post) alongside – buried deep in the appendices…

Reposts 0 Nov 21

Substack

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget – and I’ll tell you what you value.”

Tuesday’s budget sends a very clear message about what this Government values. Once again my plans to write on this blog more regularly have come to little, and that’s unlikely to change in the coming weeks as I’m about to disappear on paternity leave for a while.

Reposts 0 Oct 3

Substack

"Economic analysis" of Dublin transport plan doesn't stack up

If this analysis was submitted by a student, I would fail it I’ve not been posting to this blog as much as I had hoped to over the past few months, but like buses you wait for ages and then two posts come at you in short succession.

Reposts 0 Jul 12

Substack

Government is about choices

At a time when public services are stretched and average incomes are stagnating, cutting the tax paid by the children of wealthy families represents a strange set of priorities I’ve a piece in the Irish Times’ Debate column today arguing that at a time when public services are stretched, infrastructure is creaking and average incomes are stagnating, proposals to cut the tax paid by the children of wealthy families represents a strange set of priorities.

Reposts 0 Jul 9