Leave No One Behind – Developing Climate-Smart/Disaster Risk Management Laws that Protect People in Vulnerable Situations for a Comprehensive Implementation of the UN Agenda 2030

Dr. Dug Cubie, Centre for Criminal Justice & Human Rights (CCJHR), School of Law

Impact: International

This project investigated links, coherence and potential overlaps between two key international frameworks adopted in 2015, namely the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UNFCCC Paris Agreement on Climate Change, assessed through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr. Tommaso Natoli led this Irish Research Council / Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action research project in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Understanding the relationship between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction is fundamental to successfully achieving key targets in the SDGs, such as building resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other disasters.

In particular, this partnership between academia and the world’s largest humanitarian organisation had direct operational impacts by providing guidance and evidence for the Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement to tackle poverty, climate action and the impacts of disasters. Dr. Natoli’s research was extensively showcased in the flagship IFRC publication, the World Disasters Report 2020. The country case studies have directly supported the work of the national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies in Fiji, the Philippines, Kenya and the Republic of Dominica by effectively drawing together the knowledge and experience of academics and humanitarian practitioners.

  “For greater coherence between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to occur, we first must look closely and carefully at domestic laws and policies – which are instrumental for any effort to increase the harmonisation of implementing plans and measures. This research is a starting point for helping us to understand what is going on in some of the most exposed countries in the world, identify the main obstacles to good governance, and to trace out the features of suitable normative models.”

– Dr. Tommaso Natoli

SDG 1 - No Poverty

• Target 1.5 - Build resilience to environmental, economic and social disasters 

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.5 - Reduce the adverse effects of natural disasters 
• Target 11.b - Implement policies for inclusion, resource efficiency and disaster risk reduction 

SDG 13 - Climate Action

• Target 13.1 - Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
• Target 13.2 - Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

Digitocracy

Dr. Fergal Carton, Financial Services Innovation Centre, Cork University Business School

Impact: National, International

Digitocracy research explores the relationship between data and sustainability. For example, in the case of personal finance management, this research aims to influence the design of appropriate products for financially vulnerable customers, and sustainable economic models for future banking platforms. In questioning how data and artificial intelligence can be brought to bear on the lived experience of economically vulnerable citizens, this research seeks to understand how value can be co-created by both customers and service providers. The application of such collaborative economic models, allied with strong data governance around citizen data, will inform multi-disciplinary research on future sustainable economic models.

Research outputs from this work include advising on FinTech solutions for Safeguarding Ireland, a not-for-profit organisation established to promote safeguarding of vulnerable adults; presenting at MABS (Money Advice and Budgeting Service) and Banking and Payments Federation of Irelands workshops; building a citizen data model to address data governance and privacy needs; and integrating financial well-being case studies into undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research.

“The paper highlights the increasing aim of IT in data driven banking apps is to reduce “friction” in their use, thus potentially exacerbating the indebtedness of sections of the community who rely on that friction to limit impulsiveness. This is contrasted with how personal finance management apps may aim to increase "friction" as a way of persuading individual not to take on additional debt that they cannot manage effectively by themselves, leading to an unsustainable general climate of consumer indebtedness.”

- Reviewer response to Carton, F.L. et al. (2022), “Digital factors supporting decision making in the financial well-being of social housing residents, Journal of Decision Systems.

SDG 1 - No Poverty

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Socio-economic inequality in mental health: the role of housing quality

Dr. Brendan McElroy, Department of Economics, Cork University Business School

Impact: International

Income-related inequalities in mental health are high and this study will serve to highlight them. This research measures income-related inequality in mental health in Europe, decomposing it into its constituent parts, focusing on the role of housing quality. By measuring cross country differences in income-related inequality in mental health in countries with similar levels of income and comprehensive access to health services, we can begin to unpick the factors that drive mental health inequalities. The role of housing quality is focussed on in explaining the results. This contributes to the debate on the value of pro-poor public spending (SDG1); Mental Health promotion (SDG3); and proportion of the urban population living in inadequate housing.

Outputs will be in the form of peer-reviewed journal articles and associated conference presentations. The academic literature on income-related inequalities in mental health in Europe is scant. The role of housing quality on mental health and mental health inequality is also relatively under-researched. This project contributes to both areas of investigation.

SDG 1 - No Poverty

• Target 1.b - Create pro-poor and gender-sensitive policy frameworks (particularly indicator 1.b.1 – pro-poor public social spending)

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.4 - Reduce mortality from non-communicable diseases and promote mental health

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.1 - Safe and afforable housing (particularly indicator 11.1.1 - proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing)

The Role of Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) in Promoting Sustainable Development

Professor Owen McIntyre, School of Law

Impact: Local, National, International

MDBs, along with other international institutions involved in financing development projects and activities around the world, play a pioneering role in extending the normative content and ambition, scope of application, and practical enforceability of a rapidly emerging corpus of global governance standards for environmental and social sustainability.  The incremental adoption of increasingly far-reaching and sophisticated environmental and social safeguard policies by MDBs, along with establishment of independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) and processes which scrutinise the performance of MDBs in the implementation of their safeguard policies, ensure accountability to project-affected persons, civil society and beyond.  Such IAMs thus play a critical role in elaborating applicable environmental and social standards for sustainable development.

This line of research outputs counts among the first academic analysis of the practice of Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs), situating such practice within the broader framework of 'global' or 'transnational' law.  It aims to inform critical understanding of the role of IAMs in the emerging global governance framework and of the complex relationship between formal legal frameworks and proliferating standards of global governance. Many MDB safeguard policies are largely based upon or defer to corresponding standards existing in national or international law, whilst others only apply where the relevant and applicable legal standards are considered inadequate. All IAMs are tasked with facilitating the practical and equitable implementation of environmental and social requirements, which largely reflect widely applicable legal rules and standards aimed, directly or indirectly, at achieving sustainable development. Few would argue that the quasi-legal character of the role of IAMs, and of the safeguard policies they apply and enforce, as well as the related legal implications for the banks, their clients, affected communities and individuals, and State actors, are issues which remain largely underexplored.

SDG 1 - No Poverty

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Key research outputs include:

• The Practice of Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs): Towards Good Governance in Development Financing, O. McIntyre, and S. Nanwani (eds.) (Brill, Leiden, 2020)
• Environmental Rights – The Development of Standards, S. Turner, D. Shelton, J. Razzaque, O. McIntyre and J.R. May (eds.) (Cambridge University Press, 2019)
• ‘Transnational Environmental Regulation and the Normativisation of Global Environmental Governance Standards: The Promise of Order from Chaos’, (2018) 10/2 Journal of Property, Planning and Environmental Law 92-112
• ‘Independent Accountability Mechanisms as Agents of “Global Administrative Law”’, in O. McIntyre and S. Nanwani (eds.), The Practice of Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs): Towards Good Governance in Development Financing (Brill, Leiden, 2020) 21-41.
• ‘Independent Accountability Mechanisms: Promotion of Standards, Good Governance and Accountability’, in O. McIntyre and S. Nanwani (eds.), The Practice of Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs): Towards Good Governance in Development Financing (Brill, Leiden, 2020) 340-373 [with S. Nanwani].
• ‘Development Banking ESG Policies and the Normativisation of Good Governance Standards: Development Banks as Agents of Global Administrative Law’ in K. Wendt (ed.), Responsible Investment Banking - Risk Management Frameworks and Soft Law Standards (Springer International, Switzerland, 2015) 143-155.

AI-driven financial inclusion: value co-creation framework, subjective wellbeing and evaluation

Dr. Huanhuan Xiong, Financial Services Innovation Centre, Department of Business Information Systems, Cork University Business School

Impact: International

The purpose of this research is to develop a conceptual framework of AI-driven financial inclusion that demonstrates the role of data science in increasing financial inclusion, as well as providing insights and theoretical support for a future “citizen value” research agenda towards SDGs. The planned outputs from this research may include publications, reports, and artifacts. The research outcomes include academic and societal outcomes. Academic outcomes may include:  conceptualising the role of AI technologies and data science in increasing inclusive financial services; providing insights and theoretical support for a future “citizen value” research agenda towards SDGs. While the societal outcomes may include: how the AI-driven inclusive financial services can impact household's subjective wellbeing; potential changes in public understanding, values, and attitudes regarding AI-driven inclusive financial services.

This research is aligned with the "Wellbeing framework towards the SDGs for Ireland" and UN SDGs, identifying what the inclusive financial services are and what the benefits (value) are towards SDGs; investigating how inclusive financial services can impact people's subjective wellbeing and how to improve people's subjective wellbeing by choosing/using the most appropriate financial services.

SDG 1 - No Poverty

• Target 1.4 - Equal rights to ownership, basic services, technology and economic resources
• Target 1.5 - Build resilience to environmental, economic and social disasters

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.10 - Universal access to banking, insurance and financial services

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Target 9.1 - Develop sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructures

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2 - Promote universal social, economic and political inclusion