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Project title

III AEPESS - Integrated Indicators for Ireland: Adjusting Economic Progress for Environmental & Social Sustainability

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University College Cork (UCC)

Lead Applicant

Eleanor Doyle

Project Abstract

The research goal is to generate an integrated set of measures i.e. integrating environmental and social indicators into measures of economic progress for developed economies. The project exploits data available from the World Economic Forum (2005-2014) for over 140 countries including Ireland, on living standards and twelve separate pillars of competitiveness. The contribution of the research is to provide measures of disaggregated and cumulative impacts on economic progress (measured as per-capita living standards) and sustainability adjusted measures (including social and environmental sustainability) of a range of policy and business levers. The separate impacts on economic progress and sustainability-adjusted economic progress of: � Social, Institutional and Political factors built up over historically long periods; � Monetary and Fiscal Policies; � and Business-based (or micro-economic) factors rooted in the national and regional business environment will be identified. An additional contribution is estimating the moderating role of innovation, and eco-innovation in particular in Irish economic progress and sustainability-adjusted economic progress. This research is necessary to provide evidence-based analysis for advancing confidence in decisions on selecting from the range of possible policy and business strategy options available to governments and businesses in addressing social and environmentally sustainable imperatives. Research capacity building through formal linking of School of Economics with Environmental Research Institute at UCC and through the recruitment of Research Assistants. The Research Report to be provided for the EPA will be shared with both technical and non-technical audiences. In the course of preparing the EPA Research Report 3 conference papers will be prepared: i) for presentation nationally at Irish Economic Association Annual conference May 2016; ii) for presentation at international Economics conference tbc iii) for presentation at Microeconomics of Competitiveness Network Research Presentations at Harvard Business School (HBS), December 2016. It is envisaged that 2 peer-reviewed submissions for publication will be developed from this proposal. Given the proposal content, there is scope to leverage the results to link with colleagues' (UCC) research on Eco-Innovation and across the international network affiliated to HBS to develop further funding applications on sustainability, competitiveness and innovation.

Grant Approved

�71,518.01

Research Hub

Sustainability

Research Theme

Socio-Economic Considerations

Start Date

14/03/2016

Initial Projected Completion Date

14/03/2017