Small
Research Project Grants were awarded to the following applicants
for 2007-2008
Dr. Alexander Baturo (DCU):
“The Value of Political Office Comparative Index, 1975-2005”
This project seeks to develop a comparative index of the value
of office for each political leader in the world, from 1975
to 2005. The index will be based on a series of politico-economic
variables that influence the probability of ex post redistribution
of rulers’ assets, of living a high-status life and of immunity
of prosecution after exit from office. The index will make it
possible to compare the value of access to office for various
national leaders, to analyse what rulers stand to lose if they
exit from office and to explain the impact of their behaviour
on stability and breakdown of democracy and dictatorship, succession,
and conflict initiation and resolution.
Prof. Kenneth Benoit (TCD):
“World Database of Political Parties, Elections, and Governments”
The objective is to create a major infrastructural resource
for empirical, comparative social science research: a single,
interlinked database of parties, legislatures, elections, election
manifestos, governments, and cabinet portfolios, useful for
a very wide range of applications in political science, political
economy, and policy analysis. A single, dynamic resource – a
world database of political parties, elections, and governments
including all of the most important cross-national, time-series
data on these topics – would be made accessible on the Internet.
Dr. Olivier Bargain (UCD):
“Social Preferences in Ireland: An Optimal Taxation Approach”
This project aims to provide a new way to characterize tastes
for redistribution as embodied in tax-benefit systems and to
apply the suggested methodology to Ireland in the 1990s and
2000s. The approach relies on the inversion of the optimal income
tax model suggested by Mirrlees – and reinterpreted more recently
by Saez (2002) – in order to reveal the social weights implicitly
placed by government on different income groups via the tax-benefit
system.
Dr. Naomi Birdthistle (UL):
“A winning Formula: An Examination of Entrepreneurial Traits
Necessary for Success”
Ireland is an entrepreneurial country and entrepreneurship is
an active career choice for many Irish people. While Ireland
ranks 3rd highest in the EU in terms of early stage entrepreneurial
activity, it lags behind the most entrepreneurial of OECD countries.
This study aims to examine the entrepreneurial traits necessary
for success in Ireland and to conduct a cross-cultural analysis
of successful entrepreneurship with the United States, one of
the countries ranked higher than Ireland in terms of the rate
of established entrepreneurs.
Dr. Andrew Cottey (UCC):
"China, Ireland and the European Union: Distant Partners,
Global Competitors?"
It is widely accepted that the rise of China will be one of
the defining features of global politics and economics in the
twenty-first century. This research project will explore the
relationship between the European Union (EU) and China, and
Ireland’s involvement in that relationship, in the context of
the shift from the old ‘high politics’ of security to the new,
wider diplomatic agenda (which includes issues such as environmental
sustainability, financial stability, energy security, migration,
transnational crime and human rights).
Dr. Eleanor Denny (UCD):
“A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Distributed Energy Resources”
Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are small-scale local energy
resources for both the supply and demand of electricity, such
as small-scale wind or adaptive electricity demand. DER represent
a substantial resource to be utilized as part of the solution
to the global energy challenge; however, a number of challenges
to their successful integration remain. This research will conduct
a techno-economic cost-benefit analysis of the various DER technologies
and their combined impact on the electricity system.
Prof. Robert Elgie (DCU):
“Beyond Chairman or Chief? Mapping the parliamentary interventions
of the head of government in Ireland, 1923-2002”
This project takes forward the “chairman or chief” debate and
identifies the roles played by heads of government in Ireland
since 1921 by examining their interventions in the Dáil.
Using an existing database that has recorded every intervention
by the head of government in the Dáil from 1923-2002
inclusive, the project proposes to classify each intervention
in a specific policy area: Northern Ireland (NI); foreign affairs;
European Union; economic and financial; health; justice; industry
and employment; social welfare; education; energy and environment;
agriculture; education; and other.
Prof. Sheila Greene (TCD):
“The development of a framework for identifying the social impact
of social research”
This study will develop and pilot a framework for assessing
the social impact of social research, taking the work of the
Children’s Research Centre in TCD as a case study. It is important
for public accountability and self-evaluation purposes that
a rigorous way of systematically identifying the outcomes and
impacts of social research be developed and tested. In using
the Children’s Research Centre as a case study in social impact
assessment, this project speaks to generic issues that are of
interest to all undertaking policy and practice-oriented social
science research.
Dr. Angela Leahy (DCU):
“Gaelscoileanna and Multicultural Classrooms: exploring the
potential for transfer to enhance L2 learning experiences”
The project examines the current Gaelscoil model of primary
education and the more common English-medium model which finds
itself urgently in need of adapting to the reality of the culturally
and linguistically diverse Ireland confirmed by Census 2006.
It does so by comparing the context of language immersion at
primary level as experienced by 1) learners with no prior knowledge
of Irish who complete their primary schooling through Irish
in Gaelscoileanna, and 2) newcomer learners with little or no
knowledge of English who complete their primary schooling through
English in Ireland.
Prof. Aidan Moran (UCD):
“Motor Cognition: An Experimental Study of Visual and Motor
Imagery in Mental Travel”
The emerging field of "motor cognition" is concerned
with the mental processes by which the motor system plans and
produces skilled actions. A key topic in this field is "motor
imagery" or people’s ability to simulate or imagine the
movements of their bodies in space. Although this ability is
known to distinguish expert from novice performance in motor
domains such as sport, little research has been conducted on
the cognitive processes underlying it because of the absence
of suitable measures. However, with the development of the "mental
travel" paradigm, it is now possible to investigate motor
imagery by comparing the relationship between the duration of
real and imagined skill execution.
Dr. Bríd Ní Chonaill (ITB):
“Perceptions of Migrants and their Impact on the Blanchardstown
area: local views”
Blanchardstown – situated 10km north-west of Dublin city – is
a particularly prominent recipient of migrants, as 20.19% of
its population is non-Irish. The majority of studies investigating
the views of Irish people towards migrants are quantitative,
so this research project will address the dearth of qualitative
work on the topic, taking the views of both the majority and
minority ethnic groups into consideration.
Dr. Patricia O’Brien (TCD):
“'A Story to Tell': Archiving life-stories of people with intellectual
disability in Ireland”
The aim of this project is to support older people with intellectual
disability to tell their life-stories and to develop a website
to house these stories so that they become a valuable social
record of Irish history that is accessible to other people with
intellectual disability, family and supporters and members of
the wider community.
Prof. Eunan O’Halpin (TCD):
“British intelligence and the Northern Ireland crisis, 1966-1998”
This project explores a crucial dimension of the Northern Ireland
conflict which has hitherto received little scholarly attention:
the question of how intelligence activities influenced high
policy relating to Northern Ireland and to Anglo-Irish relations,
and of how and to what extent Whitehall established and policed
the ground rules for intelligence activities which were to cause
controversy (particularly alleged collusion with paramilitaries,
techniques of interrogation, and the running of informers).
It is envisaged that the project will provide a foundation for
further research, particularly in comparative terms relating
to other conflict/peace transitions in the late 20th century.
Prof. Donal O’Neill (NUIM):
“A Study of Earnings Dynamics and Inequality across European
Countries”
This project’s cross-country analysis will improve understanding
of the relative importance of various factors in shaping differences
in inequality across Europe. Using longitudinal data, a detailed
analysis of earnings dynamics in Ireland will be carried out,
focusing on the covariance structure of earnings. This will
make it possible to separate transitory from permanent components
of inequality. The dynamic aspect of the analysis will provide
new insights into the nature of earnings inequality in Ireland,
while also complementing existing cross-sectional research.
The analysis will then be extended to other European countries,
using standardized data sets and a common econometric methodology
to generate comparable international results.
Dr. Alan Peatfield (UCD):
“An intra-site GIS analysis of the archaeological ritual assemblage
from the Atsipadhes peak sanctuary in Crete”
The aim of this project is to create an interactive system between
the archaeological ritual assemblage from the Minoan peak sanctuary
(c.1900-1700 BC) of Atsipadhes Korakias in western Crete and
a G(eographical) I(nformation) S(ystem). This will create an
effective research tool for intra-site analysis, i.e. the study
of spatial organisation and patterns of ritual activity in relation
to the topography and excavated features of the site, as well
as producing high-quality data presentation for publication.
The project will also provide an innovative model which can
be used and developed further for other archaeological sites
since the use of GIS for intra-site analysis (as opposed to
its more familiar use for regional studies) is still relatively
rare.
Dr. William Phelan (TCD):
“Europe's Constitution: Encompassing Institutions and International
Public Goods”
The project is to provide a new, generalizable explanation for
the unique, ‘constitutional’ effectiveness of the European Union’s
transitional legal order – an explanation which emphasizes features
of the democratic political institutions of the participating
states. This research project contributes to one of the broadest
research questions of international relations theory – the provision
of public goods outside the Weberian state – as well as the
study of international organization, international political
economy, the politics of international law, and the politics
and law of the European Union.
Dr. Ron Pinhasi (UCC):
“The "Hrazdan River Prehistoric Project": towards
the establishment of a cultural and chronostratigtraphic sequence
of Neanderthal occupation, their eventual demise, and the establishment
of modern human populations in the southern Caucasus”
The demise of the Neanderthals and the emergence of modern humans
are associated with the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition
in various Eurasian regions. The extent to which the transition
was (a) a local development, (b) involved a displacement/replacement
by incoming modern humans; or (c) a combination of both, remains
a highly debated issue. The southern Caucasus is key to the
question as it is an important junction between Eurasia and
the Levant. It is, however, a region in which there has been
little fieldwork and which has yielded only a few chronometric
dates. The project aims to fill this lacuna by providing new
data relating to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic periods in
the southern Caucasus and against which Middle-Upper Palaeolithic
and Neanderthal-modern human transition models developed for
other regions can be tested.
Dr. Bernadette Power (UCC):
“Endgames of Small Enterprises in Ireland”
Failed business transfers pose a particular problem for several
European countries. Through fieldwork, this study investigates
the extent of the problem in Ireland and examines the degree
to which small firms in Ireland are now transferred to third
parties (e.g. employees, related and unrelated businesses, latent
entrepreneurs). As little is known about the transfer of small
businesses to third parties in Ireland and how they are valued
in event of transfer, this study also aims to investigate the
key factors which promote the successful transfer of these businesses
to third parties in Ireland and how these businesses are valued
at the point of transfer.
Dr. Aisling Reynolds-Feighan (UCD):
“A Comparative Analysis of Air Transport Network Metrics”
This applied transportation economics project will develop a
framework for assessing the
relationship between airline decisions regarding their network,
and the impacts on the accessibility of an airport community.
The project will involve generating network metrics for European
and US airlines and developing relationships between standard
economic measures of concentration, social network analysis
measures of network structure and accessibility indicators.
Using the relationships derived, the European and US air transportation
systems will be assessed in terms of network overlap, airport
similarity and traffic potential, given population and economic
activity.
Prof. Kevin Rockett (TCD):
"Irish Film Censors' Records on the Internet"
The records of the Irish Film Censor’s Office, which detail
the treatment of every film submitted to Irish film censors
since the beginning of national film censorship in 1923, are
held at the National Archives of Ireland. Recording over 50,000
decisions in 127 volumes, these records contain a wealth of
information, not only revealing the changing practices of censorship,
but also giving access to oft forgotten or under-examined films,
including Irish material across the genres of fiction, documentary
and newsreel. It is intended that these records will be published
as a searchable and cross-referenced section of Irish Film &
TV Research Online (www.tcd.ie/Irishfilm), thus adding a new
dimension to research into Irish film history and Irish culture
and society in general.
Prof. Ian Campbell Ross (TCD):
“Early Irish Prose Fiction 1680-1810”
This project will provide exemplary critical editions of a number
of important works of Irish prose fiction in the period 1680-1810.
In addition to the texts of novels, contemporary reviews, relevant
periodical and manuscript materials will also be included. In
the medium-term this project aims to publish seven primary texts
and their ancillary materials so as to have an impact on both
pedagogic and theoretical levels. The project’s editorial group
will offer its own sustained and consistent theorization of
fiction in the period, emphasizing the role of the novel in
inventing and re-inventing Ireland for readers both at home
and abroad. At a thematic level, the consideration of issues
of identity will draw on the notion of a ‘global’ eighteenth
century.
Dr. Angela Veale (UCC):
“Social integration of young people in contact with youth justice
systems: a youth action research project”
Policy and research on youth justice worldwide is focused on
implementing Art. 40.3(b) of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child with respect to children that have infringed the law.
This obliges State parties to divert children and young people
from judicial proceedings and detention centres and to develop
community-based alternatives to institutional care. This project,
undertaken in partnership with Youth Advocate Programme, Ireland,
will contribute to national and international knowledge by engaging
in youth-led participatory research with young people in contact
with youth justice systems and community peers, focusing on
their experiences of and perspectives on youth justice law,
policy and practice, and social integration.
Thematic Research Project Grants Scheme
Assessment Board Members
• Chair: Prof. Graham Room
University of Bath, UK
• Prof. Patrick Birkinshaw
University of Hull, UK
• Prof. John Brewer
University of Aberdeen, UK
• Prof. Eamon Duffy
Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, UK
• Prof. Hartmut Esser
Universitaet Mannheim, Germany
• Prof. Andrew Geddes
University of Sheffield, UK
• Prof. Brian Girvin
University of Glasgow, UK
• Prof. Geraldine Higgins
Emory University, USA
• Prof. Michael Kelly
University of Southampton, UK
• Prof. Joep Leerssen
University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Prof. Deirdre Lynch
University of Toronto, Canada
• Dr. Evanthia Lyons
University of Surrey, UK
• Prof. Vincent Mangematin
Université Pierre Mendès, France
• Prof. Denise Osborn
University of Manchester, UK
• Prof. Adam Tickell
University of London
Thematic Research Project Grants Awards 2007-2008:
Thematic Area 1: Migration and Cultural Diversity
Recent years have witnessed high migration flows in all parts
of the globe. A range of economic, social, political and institutional
factors have sustained this trend and today contribute to the
emergence of new flows. The factors that shape migration patterns
are diverse, like the flows themselves. These factors present
a range of important research questions, together with the impacts
(social, cultural, economic, among others) and challenges (political,
legal, institutional, among others) which result from migration.
It is envisaged that research programmes in this area may focus
either on specific case studies or analyses within a given geographical
region, or on comparative studies.
Thematic Area 2: The ‘New Economy’: Problems of Definition
and Strategies for Growth, Development and Inclusion
The claim has been made that the past twenty years have witnessed
the emergence of a ‘new’ global economy, following a perceived
transition to modern patterns of economic growth in rich nations.
These years have also witnessed new processes of public investment;
new approaches to regulation, innovation and competitiveness;
an extension of the scope and influence of the market economy;
increased labour flexibility; increased liberalization of trade;
the economic needs of Ireland as a knowledge society and the
rapid globalization of many areas of economic activity, with
accrued internationalization of finance, in particular. In parallel,
there has been sustained debate on how to ensure that economic
growth contributes effectively to sustainable social development
and well-being, both in individual nation-states and globally,
including the adoption of a ‘lifecycle framework’ as a centerpiece
of social development. It is envisaged that research projects
in this thematic area might focus on aspects of the above on
a national or international basis.
Thematic Area 3: Thinking Globally: Issues and Investigative
Practices
Many disciplines today have witnessed the emergence of thinking
on a global scale: world history and histories; world literatures;
cosmopolitan models of politics and universal human rights.
What are the methodological and substantive implications of
the relevant issues? Within this broad interdisciplinary domain,
applicants are invited to consider the following areas of enquiry:
transnational frameworks for the study of the interaction of
culture and identity; conceptual boundaries and interactions;
the scope of universalism today and as represented in the past,
for example, by the Enlightenment; varieties of the cosmopolitan;
changing definitions of ‘territory’, ‘region’ and space; and
colonialism as a case-study in the history of globalization.
Thematic Area 4: The Making of Ireland: Paths to Modernity
In Ireland, the process of historical change has been determined
by factors that were both internal to the island and international
in context. Applicants under this theme are invited to examine
the cultural, political and socio-economic transformations of
Ireland with particular focus on the influence of the following
drivers of change: religion and traditional beliefs; Ireland’s
constitutional and legal personalities; histories, literatures
and material culture. Particular emphasis might be placed on
research with a cross-cultural or comparative focus, either
within Ireland, or with respect to Ireland’s relationship with
the wider world.
Thematic Research Project Grants were awarded to the
following principle investigators
for 2007-2008:
Dr. Robert Armstrong (TCD): “Insular Christianity,
1530-1750”
The project addresses key dimensions of the role of religion
in shaping modern Ireland, in a cross-cultural and international
context. The project will develop a scholarly network delivering
a comparative, interdisciplinary analysis of critical aspects
of this process of change. Three integrated volumes will be
produced, on the themes of Catholic and Presbyterian experiences
in Early Modern Ireland and Britain; “Christianity in the Celtic
World, 1500-1700”; the Bible in early modern Ireland and Britain.
Dr. Alan Barrett (ESRI):
“Immigrants' Characteristics, Experiences and Impacts”
This project will exploit two new and rich data sources which
have been collected by the Central Statistics Office, in order
to develop new insights into the nature and impact of recent
immigration into Ireland. The first objective is to provide
information to Ireland’s policy-makers so that maximum benefit
can be derived from immigration, for both the immigrants themselves
and for Ireland’s economy and society. A second objective is
to contribute to the international research effort to develop
a clearer understanding of immigrant experiences and impacts.
Prof. William Binchy (TCD):
“Globalisation, Human Rights and the Judiciary in Africa: A
Comprehensive Identification, Location and Comparative Law Analysis
of the Judgments relating to Human Rights in Sixteen African
States”
The direct goals of the research are threefold: (i) to identify
all significant judgments in the sixteen African courts with
common law and Roman-Dutch legal systems which address human
rights issues; (ii) to categorize these judgments under ten
central human rights themes; (iii) to analyse the significance
of these decisions in the development of a human rights culture
in Africa and their resolution of conflicts between universalist
human rights norms and indigenous cultural values. The broader
goal of the research is to enable judges, legal practitioners,
human rights NGOs and the wider community throughout Africa
to have free access to the corpus of case law on human rights
produced by these courts.
Dr. Aidan Brock (UCD):
“Psychology and the Challenge of Cultural Diversity”
This project will undertake a genuinely global history of psychology
and an analysis of its current distribution around the world.
It will also include four detailed case studies of culturally-based
challenges to ‘western’ psychology in Iran, South Africa, India
and the USA. The latter will be based mainly on interviews with
selected local psychologists. The final part of the work will
place these developments in the broader context of globalization,
as well as the resistance to it, and discuss their implications
for the future of the field.
Dr. Anna Davies (TCD):
“Creating a Sustainable Economy”
Within the social economy arena, environmentally-focused social
economy (ESE) enterprises, such as community-based recycling
organizations, gardening initiatives and fuel poverty programmes,
have been experiencing a period of expansion in the European
Union; however, no systematic analysis has been undertaken of
their activities, the conditions that shape those activities
or the contribution they are making towards sustainable development
in Ireland. In order to address this analytical deficiency this
project will extend theoretical debates about sustainability
and the social economy, particularly drawing out issues of scale
and governance, through an empirically grounded evaluation of
ESE enterprises.
Dr. Bryan Fanning (UCD):
“Integration and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland”
The focus of this project is on social policy as a vehicle for
integration goals unmet by the economy and on the political
and civic integration necessary to achieve such goals. Four
capacity building needs are emphasized: (i) the need for comprehensively
disaggregated data on the experiences of different immigrant
communities to inform targeted policy, (ii) the need for a strategic
approach to integration informed by international research,
(iii) the need for a focus on political and civic integration,
since the exclusion of immigrants from decision-making is likely
to impede successful integration in other domains, and (iv)
the need to develop methodological capacity within fourth-level
research training.
Dr. Robert Gerwarth (UCD):
“Paramilitary Violence after the Great War, 1918-1923. Towards
a Global History”
This project will investigate the much neglected history of
paramilitary violence after the Great War from an international
comparative perspective. Although the history of the Great War
itself can hardly be described as a neglected area of historical
research, the same cannot be said about the violence that followed
this first truly global conflict. Violent conflicts erupted
across Europe and further afield between 1917/18 and 1923, most
notably, but by no means exclusively, in Russia, Finland, the
new Baltic states, Ireland, Central Europe, Northern Italy,
Anatolia and the Caucasus.
Prof. Patrick Honohan (TCD):
“Turning Globalization to National Advantage: Economic Policy
Lessons from Ireland's Experience”
This research project will clarify how the forces of globalization
influenced the Irish economy and how Ireland managed to cope.
To help fill the gaps in existing knowledge, new quantititative
research will be conducted in four strands, covering (aside
from trade) the most important economic linkages, namely the
impact of: inward foreign direct investment on firm productivity
and use of technology; of international capital markets on fiscal
policy and competitiveness; of openness to the international
labour market on wages, employment and skills/productivity of
the labour force; and of the institutions that were employed
for managing EU structural funds.
Prof. Liam Kennedy (UCD):
“Photography and International Conflict: Histories, Theories
and Practices”
The project forms the core of an interdisciplinary, transnational
collaboration between scholars in the fields of visual culture
and international relations, practitioners in photography and
visual media, and NGO actors in fields of human rights and international
conflict. It examines the roles of image producers and the functions
of photographic imagery in the documentation and communication
of wars, violent conflicts and human rights issues.
Prof. Alan Kramer (TCD):
“International History of Concentration Camps before 1941”
This project will be the first transnational comparative investigation
of the history of concentration camps up to 1941. It is intended
to test various hypotheses on the origins of the camps by systematically
scrutinizing the scholarly research on the camps from time of
the first camps built by the Spanish in Cuba in 1896 to the
construction of the Nazi concentration camps, and by conducting
original research on the camp system in the belligerent countries
of the Great War, the international learning process from 1896
to 1941, the treatment of civilian internees, the development
of international law and the prosecution of violations of international
humanitarian law in the camps.
Prof. Brian Nolan (UCD):
“The Impact of the 'New Economy' on the Labour Market, Inequality,
Poverty and Well-being in Ireland”
The international research literature on the nature of recent
globalization and growth has highlighted that the ‘New Economy’,
driven by innovative ideas and technology, may be having profound
effects on labour markets and thus on the nature of modern societies.
This project’s central aim is to assess the impact of the ‘New
Economy’ on Ireland’s labour market and to trace through the
implications for societal and individual well-being and for
socio-economic policies. The research will rely heavily on quantitative
analysis of large-scale micro-datasets on individuals and households.
Prof. Frederick Powell (UCC):
“Global-Local Linkages for SMEs in Innovation Networks: An Empirical
Investigation”
Economic progress is increasingly determined by the extent of
innovative activity in an economy, with the generation and diffusion
of knowledge taking centre stage. This is reflected in the enormous
interest among academics and public policy-makers in developing
the so-called ‘knowledge-based economy’. Within this context,
the aim of the research is to investigate how indigenous SMEs,
with relatively limited resources and global reach, access global
knowledge networks, and to examine the role of such networks
in increasing the firms’ innovative capacity.
Dr. Katharine Simms (UCD):
“The Irish Chancery Project”
This project seeks to advance our understanding of the ‘making
of Ireland’ between the high Middle Ages and the dawn of the
modern era – one of the most formative periods in Ireland’s
past – by publishing on the web and in print an English calendar
of the rolls of the medieval Irish chancery, c.1216–1509.
Dr. Sarah Smyth (TCD):
“Russian speakers in the Republic of Ireland: Who are they?
a sociolinguistic study of hybrid identities”
This study will use quantitative and qualitative research methods
to ask: (i) who are the Russian-speaking migrants in Ireland?
(ii) what uses do they make of their languages and what are
their attitudes to these languages? (iii) what do the narrated
past, present and imagined futures of these groups contribute
to debates on identity construction? (iv) what predictions can
be made about their integration and Russian-language maintenance
on the basis of their currently held practices, attitudes and
settlement patterns?
Data will be elicited across three population groups (the adult
migrant, the migrant’s children and the migrant’s other dependent
relatives in Ireland) and will be compared across ethnic groups
and countries of origin.
Prof. Roger Stalley (TCD):
“Reconstructions of the Gothic Past”
This project aims to transform the study of Gothic architecture
in Ireland through the use of modern analytical methods and
data resources. The study will focus on the introduction and
spread of Gothic forms, especially in the thirteenth century,
and it will lay particular emphasis on the perception and exploitation
of these buildings in succeeding ages. Buildings will be analysed
not just as monuments of one particular period, but as historical
‘documents’ which have much to tell us about the attitudes and
aspirations of subsequent eras. The project will thus examine
how the use and treatment of Gothic buildings has been affected
by social, economic, religious and cultural change in subsequent
ages (including the modern era).
Projects Cofunded with the ESRC
Dr. Tony Dundon (NUIG):
“Assessing the Impact of Employee Information and Consultation
Regulations in Cross-Border Enterprises on the island of Ireland”
This research aims to examine the impact and transposition of
employee information and consultation regulations in two jurisdictions,
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is proposed
to examine this in 16 cross-border multi-site organizations
in four different economic sectors, representing a total of
24 workplaces. The results will inform academic knowledge in
the areas of employment relations and labour market growth models,
and it will add to a growing public policy debate concerning
employment regulation and its role to competitiveness.
Prof. Kathy Monks (DCU): “Knowledge-Intensive Firms
in the UK and Ireland: Influences, Strategies and Skills”
This project seeks to answer the question: What is the impact
of industrial policy, labour market regulation and firm strategies
and practices on skills and broader employee outcomes in knowledge-intensive
firms? Prior research into strategies and the management of
staff in KIFs has been limited, although there is some evidence
to suggest that differing approaches may have radically different
outcomes in terms of retention and levels of innovation. However,
it is not known how these approaches may be linked to national
and regional policies, nor is much known about how the broader
workforce within KIFs, beyond the core 'knowledge workers',
is managed, and what impact the organisation's HR architecture
may have on outcomes.
Prof. Orla Muldoon (UL):
“Embodying the imagined community: the role of collective participation
in the transformation of Irish identities”
The proposed longitudinal research examines the consequences
of participation in iconically Irish collective events. The
events to be studied, key signifiers of Irish national consciousness,
are potentially fruitful sites for providing a perspective on
the various ways in which Irishness is imagined and transformed,
and on the processes by which people come to an understanding
of Ireland and Irishness. The project is both practically and
theoretically innovative, elucidating the lived reality and
consequences of collective participation. This is an issue of
increasing importance for psychology and anthropology and widens
the significance of the project beyond the study of Irishness
to the dynamics of social identity formation in general.
Funded by the Irish Government under the
National Development Plan 2007-2013.
