Irish Postgraduate and Early Career Conference 2018

From 2001 to 2013, we held eleven workshops in Ireland for postgraduate and early career researchers. They started as exclusively aimed at Irish-based researchers and eventually morphed into international events. The events were run mostly by PhD students in the Universities, including events hosted by UCD, TCD, Limerick, Cork, and Galway. In Scotland, 8 universities combine on PhD training and host an annual event for PhD students. Such events provide students and researchers an opportunity to discuss their work outside their own institution and meet other researchers and faculty.

To restart this effort, we will host a full-day event in Dublin on January 19th. The event is aimed at PhD students and early career researchers across the Irish universities. A full call for papers with details of submissions will be released soon. The event will take the form of thematic sessions with ideally at least some faculty discussant input at each session, along with keynote talks, and engagement with policy and industry. We welcome submissions from PhD students and early career researchers in institutions on the island of Ireland.

I would welcome suggestions from students, researchers, and faculty about how to make this a feature of the Irish research environment. Some questions include whether it should be a student-run event in future years, links to the Irish Economics Association, venues, format of sessions, whether it should be restricted to national institutions, whether there should be job-market aspects etc., I hope revamping these sessions will also create an opportunity to discuss collaboration on advanced training in Economics across the country.

Workplace Well-Being Programmes

Below is the submitted text of an article I wrote for the Sunday Business Post - link to the final slightly tidier article behind a pay wall here. There have been several recent articles particularly in the US context questioning the efficacy of corporate well-being programmes (e.g. here and here with thanks to Brendan Kennelly for suggestions). RAND Europe recently produced a report looking at how various programmes were being implemented in the UK, pointing to a relatively positive view of how they are received by workers but also pointing to the dearth of any effectiveness evidence. In Ireland, the main employers group IBEC have launched a new initiative to promote well-being in the workplace - the Keepwell Mark. I spoke at their launch that also included speakers from companies such as Microsoft Ireland and was attended by hundreds of company representatives. The seeming failure of the tested initiatives in the US to convert into improvements in company productivity and the extent to which many of the initiatives in the US even seem to have backfired and in cases reduced employee morale (e.g compulsory drug testing initiatives reducing trust) should give us pause in the Irish context. Should IBEC be successful in bringing many of the country's employers on board such an initiative, it would provide the opportunity for a serious and structured way of evaluating the impact of various features of well-being initiatives and hopefully the potential to avoid rolling out ones that are going to have harmful effects to both productivity and morale, and ultimately to develop an evidence base on the extent to which well-designed initiatives could have potential benefits and the extent of these benefits. 

The declines in infant mortality in Ireland in the 1950s still represent one of the state's major achievements. Improvements in sanitation, in particular, led to healthier maternal, infant, and childhood conditions, setting the foundation both for reducing mortality and improving the health of people as they grew up. At least some of the health improvements we are seeing in our aging populations can be traced to this period. Furthermore, while people have spoken about our health system as being a "black hole", the improvements in life expectancy in the last 30 years have been remarkable, fuelled in part by reductions in smoking and improved nutrition but also by health services, however still flawed, that have substantially improved with the investments made in them by successive governments. 

There is increasing evidence for the interplay between health and economic productivity. As might be expected, economists disagree on the precise relationships, but an increasing body of work has related health to economic productivity at both individual and national levels. In the context of aging populations, it seems obvious that improving health will act at least partly as a bulwark against rising dependency ratios, allowing people to work healthily longer into life. One key element of this is the extent to which mental health and chronic pain influence economic outcomes. Depression and chronic pain have dramatic effects on probabilities of unemployment, lost days at work, and life-time wealth accumulation. Mental health might well be the biggest economic concern for the Irish economy in terms of the scope and severity of the effects. Scholars such as Richard Layard have called for major and transformative levels of investments in mental health across countries to understand conditions more and develop and scale-up effective treatments. More broadly, developing workplaces and health services that break the link between mental health and economic deprivation is one of the major tasks of the 21st century.  

As well as the implications for economic productivity, there has been an increasing emphasis on how to incorporate health and well-being into policy making as a goal and indicator of progress. A range of high-level reports have asked about how to construct measures that go beyond GDP and economic measures. The incorporation of factors such as literacy, life expectancy, economic inequality and other measures of welfare provides a more rounded account of the progress of nations and has a long history. More recently, the incorporation of measures of subjective welfare and of mental health has become the focus of attention. 

The development of workplace programmes to improve health and well-being should be seen in this context, both in relation to their potential role in productivity and as contributing to well-being as an end in itself. So far, such programmes are in their relative infancy. The evidence on the links between well-being and work is very strong but that is different to saying we know how to influence those links. The internet is replete with examples of over-claims about the benefits of introducing health and well-being programmes in work settings. So far, the evidence is slight that productivity can be directly improved by such programmes. There are certainly many studies showing that employees will engage with many of them and enjoy aspects of them etc., But whether investment in worker health and well-being driven by programmatic activity of firms can be part of a major societal shift in well-being and productivity is still an open question. 

There are clearly many plausible reasons why providing access to healthier food at work, exercise facilities, health screening, and related services might impact on both well-being and productivity. But there are also pitfalls. Such facilities might only be used by people who are already doing fine in terms of health and well-being. Framed badly, corporate well-being programmes might come across as intrusive or patronising, an attempt to distract from wider issues, or even a subtle hint that worker dissatisfaction is due to their own fitness or mental health issues. Encouraging people to disclose mental health issues to their employer often ignores the fact that many companies have very little idea what to do with such a disclosure and there are risks that people could end up being tacitly discriminated against. Recent reviews of the literature make it clear that there are not simple off-the-shelf models for intervening in worker well-being that will also raise productivity. If this is to be achieved, it will require iteration and commitment to testing, and a willingness to measure and acknowledge failure.  

Even with all the above in mind, accumulating evidence on work-place programmes that genuinely have a causal impact on worker well-being and productivity would be a substantial advance for both business and policy in Ireland. Adopting a hard-headed approach to evaluating these programmes will be key.  

Liam Delaney is Professor of Economics at UCD and directs the MSc in Behavioural Economics. 

Economics, Psychology, and Policy Links 30/09/17

Our new research group launched on September 8th at an event with Professor Peter John. Our new Msc in Behavioural Economics has also started in UCD. We host a weekly meeting to bring our students and researchers together with other researchers, policymakers, and industry from outside the university and we welcome expressions of interest to attend.

1. The US Internal Revenue Service have produced a guide to using behavioural insights

2. My reading list for students in UCD this term is available here

3. Childhood self-control predicts adult pension participation. Our new paper that came out recently in Economics Letters.

4. Andrew Gelman on whether we should abandon statistical significance

5. The festival of economics and comedy that grew out of Ireland's financial crisis, Kilkenomics, takes place again this year from November 9th to November 12th. I am giving a talk on Father Ted and Economics. This is a one-off and probably not a good idea on my behalf but the overall festival is a really nice event and Kilkenny one of the best places in Ireland to visit.

6. My colleague Orla Doyle and colleagues have released a working paper on terrorism and well-being.

7. Irish Department of Finance & Govt Evaluation Service paper on implications of behavioural economics for tax policy

8. Second issue of the Journal of Behavioural Economics for Policy now available online.

9.  Richard Layard on economics & mental health

10. Details of events and mailing list for the Irish Behavioural Science and Policy Network.

Paid Research Experience Posts

There is an opportunity for paid research experience assisting the development of the behavioural science and policy research group at UCD working with Professor Liam Delaney. Tasks include those below. Please note these are temporary positions and we also will advertise longer term positions as they arise. The typical duration will be one day per week for up to 12 weeks, with pay varying from 11 euro to 14 euro per hour depending on experience. Please send your CV to Emma.Barron@ucd.ie The posts would be particularly suited to economics and psychology graduates with a high degree of research aptitude and interest.

a) Assisting with events and social media relating to the research activities of the group, including minuting the weekly meetings.

b) Assisting in the background research on a book on the history of economics and psychology

c) Assisting in the development of a measurement methodology for examining decisions in everyday contexts.

d) Assisting in the background research for the development of an ethics framework for behavioural public policy.

e) Assisting on projects in the areas of health, environment, and education.

f) Assisting on the development of research funding proposals in the area of behavioural public policy

Behavioural Science and Public Policy Launch

On September 8th, we will host a one-day workshop to launch our new programme on behavioural science and public policy at UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy. The programme is based at the Institute and works in conjunction with colleagues at the UCD School of Economics and College of Social Sciences and Law. The sign-up page for the event is here. The event will take place from between 9am and 430pm. Our keynote speaker will be Professor Peter John from UCL.

Event Programme 

9am to 930am: Registration, and Welcome

930am to 1045am: Presentations on Measurement in Behavioural Science and Policy

Lucie Martin (UCD): "Naturalistic Monitoring and Behavioural Public Policy".

Liam Delaney (UCD ): "Results of Nationally Representative Survey of Well-Being and Consumer Decisions"

1045am to 1115am: Coffee

1115am to 1230pm: Presentations on Economic Behaviour and the Lifecycle

Michael Daly (UCD and Stirling): "Self-Control, Economic Outcomes, and Well-Being Across Life"

Orla Doyle (UCD): "Early Intervention and School Outcomes"

1230pm to 130pm: Lunch

130pm to 245pm: Presentations on Ethics and Public Policy

Pete Lunn (ESRI): "Behavioural Economics and Regulation in Ireland"

Leonhard Lades (UCD and EnvEon): "Behavioural Science, Ethics, and Public Policy"

3pm to 430pm: Launch and Keynote Speaker Professor Peter John. " How Far to Nudge?: Behavioural Economics and Public Policy". 

See below for details of our new initiative: 

Research

- A behavioural science research centre based in the UCD Geary Institute of Public Policy around three main clusters of activity: measurement of economic behaviour; life-cycle models of economic behaviour; ethics of behavioural science policy. The development of these three key themes reflects the importance of a coherent measurement and ethical basis for policies based on behavioural economic ideas. Key workshops and kick-off meetings, along with funding opportunities, to develop these three areas will be announced here in due course.

- Widespread national research collaborations with other universities, public, and private bodies. Continuation of annual conference in this area to further promote whole-island network development. Programme for last year’s workshop available here (http://economicspsychologypolicy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/9th-annual-irish-economics-and.html).

- Development of a cohort of full-time and part-time PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in this area based at the Geary Institute. ERC, IRC, and other Irish and European peer-reviewed funding sources will be the key method of financing the development of this cohort.

- Development of a European network on behavioural science, policy and ethics based in Dublin. The likely funding source for this will be either a COST or Marie-Curie application during the 2018 funding rounds.

- Development of a full plan for an Irish Centre for Behavioural Science and Public Policy to be funded from external sources within the first three years. The potential, in particular, for a bid to the SFI strategic research clusters initiative is one feasible strategy for this but other alternatives are being actively considered.

Teaching and Training
- An MSc in Behavioural Economics based in the UCD School of Economics. Widespread collaboration and module sharing with Psychology, Law, and other disciplines.

- Development of an undergraduate summer research internship programme based at Geary.

- Development of a series of executive education classes in behavioural economics aimed at regulators, executives, and policy-makers.

- Masterclasses in microeconometrics, behavioural economics, and statistics for graduate students and professional researchers.

- Regular seminars, reading groups, and workshops.

Industry and Policy Linkages
- A new AIB-UCD hub for research into consumer decision making. This new hub, funded by AIB, will explore the development of new ideas in the financial decision-making domain and their potential to lead to more active financial markets in Ireland. We will conduct several research projects on consumer financial decision-making and host workshops in this area in Dublin.

- Collaboration with Irish policymakers to develop the integration of behaviourally-informed ideas into Irish public policy.

- Collaboration with EnvEcon to develop the role of behavioural economics in environment policy decision making in Ireland.

- Collaboration with ESRI to develop the area of behaviourally-informed regulation in Ireland.

- Collaboration with Amarach Research to develop a range of studies with practical relevance to Irish businesses and policy-makers.

- Collaboration with Carr Communications to develop a number of applications of behavioural economics in the context of communications interventions in key policy contexts.

Knowledge Exchange and Impact
- Further development of the activities of the Irish Behavioural Science and Policy Network (http://www.irishbspn.org/).

- Development of the economics, psychology, and policy blog to further act as a widely used resource. (http://economicspsychologypolicy.blogspot.co.uk/).

- Collaboration with policy-makers to promote best practice in design and evaluation of behaviourally-informed public policies.

Stirling Workshop on Self-Control and Public Policy September 15th

Please click here to register. Registration is free but spaces are limited so please register in advance.


Stirling Workshop on Self-Control and Public Policy (Friday, September 15th)

Self-control is the human capacity that enables people to control short-term impulses and desires in order to achieve long-term goals. This workshop brings together different perspectives in order to outline the implications of self-control for a range of policy issues spanning the areas of health, education, labour, and welfare policy. The speakers combine theoretical and methodological approaches from economics and psychology in novel ways to generate new approaches to policy problems, move forward in affecting change in these problems, and further uncover the policy implications of self-control.

Themes that will be discussed at the workshop include:

- Measurement of self-control for policy research.
- Capitalising more fully on the information collected in large-scale government surveys to

understand the development of self-control and its lifespan implications.
- Economic, health, and welfare consequences of different degrees of self-control.

- The effectiveness and scalability of interventions to improve self-control.

- Understanding self-control in the context of everyday life and social interactions.

- The relationship between environmental cues, 'nudge' interventions and trait self- control.

Event Programme

08.45-09.15: COFFEE

09.15-09.30: Opening and Registration

09.30-10.00: Ailbhe Booth (UCD) Examining disciplinary perspectives on self-regulation

10.00-10.30: Terry Ng-Knight (UCL) Predictors of self-control during childhood

10.30-11.00: Michael Daly (Stirling) Lifespan outcomes of childhood self-control

11.00-11.30: COFFEE

11.30-12.00: Conny Wollbrant (Stirling; Gothenburg) Time preferences and cross-country resource use

12.00-12.30: Claudia Cerrone (Max Planck, Bonn) Doing it when others do: a strategic model of procrastination

12.30-13.00: Julius Frankenbach (Saarland University) Does self-control training improve self-control? A meta-analysis

13.00-14.00: LUNCH

14.00-14.30: Leonhard Lades (UCD, EnvEcon) Self-control in everyday life

14.30-15.15: Esther Papies (University of Glasgow) Situating interventions to bridge the intention-behaviour gap: The case of healthy eating

15.15-15.30: COFFEE

15.30-16.15: Denise de Ridder (Utrecht University) Self-control, nudging, and health

16.15-17.00: Panel Discussion

UCD Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Position in Behavioural Economics

See below for an excellent opportunity to work with our colleague Suzanne Kingston and her team. UCD Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 or Level 2, UCD School of Law (Temporary Maternity cover)  - Economics/Psychology/Environmental Governance

Applications are invited for a temporary postdoctoral researcher, UCD Sutherland School of Law. The successful candidate will be offered a fixed-term contract to provide maternity cover for a European Research Council Project until 20 April 2018. This is an exciting opportunity to play an important role as a postdoctoral researcher, as part of a cutting-edge project investigating the way that laws influence our decisions to engage (or not to engage) in environmentally compliant behaviour in Europe. Funded by the European Research Council, you will be the postdoctoral researcher on the project, and will form part of an interdisciplinary international team of six people, comprising Professor Kingston, 3 Ph.D. students, a research assistant and the postdoctoral researcher. This appointment may be made at either Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 or Level 2 depending on the relevant experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. Closing Date: 17:00hrs (Local Irish Time) Tuesday 25th July 2017. For further details please visit https://www.ucd.ie/hr/jobvacancies/ (see vacancy number 009518)