Social inclusion of rural migrants in Hanoi City, Vietnam

Dr. Edward Lahiff, Department of Food Business and Development, Cork University Business School

Impact: International

Rural-to-urban migrants constitute a vulnerable group in developing countries such as Vietnam, and often struggle to access employment, housing, and social services. Migrants are routinely discriminated against in official policy and practice and are widely recognised as socially and economically marginalised. The aim of this study is to contribute to greater social inclusion of migrants in Vietnam through enhanced understanding of the needs of diverse groups of migrants, particularly women and those in precarious employment, and more effective policy responses by state and non-stage agencies. Through close engagement with migrants, advocacy groups and state agencies, this project contributes to current debates around planned and well-managed migration policies, which impacts mainly at national level.

The theoretical framework for this study is socioeconomic inclusion, with a focus on employment, housing, education, healthcare and social protection. The specific objectives are to identify barriers to social inclusion of migrants in Hanoi, to critically analyse the policies and programmes aimed at social inclusion and to engage with stakeholders to develop detailed policy solutions. This research is contributing to ongoing policy reform, by raising awareness among advocacy groups, policy makers and the wider community. This project is closely aligned with Irish and EU development aid priorities, elaborated in close cooperation with the Government of Vietnam, and focuses on mutually agreed objectives of socioeconomic development and capacity building, thereby contributing to enhanced North-South cooperation. Moreover, as a truly collaborative effort between UCC and USSH (part of the Vietnam National University), this project contributes directly to skills development and knowledge-sharing among researchers, an example of international cooperation within the university sector that enhances capacity for further cooperation among all parties.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.8 - Protect labour rights and promote safe working environments

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2 - Promote universal social, economic and political inclusion
• Target 10.7 - Responsible and well-managed migration policies

SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.6 - Knowledge sharing and cooperation for access to science, technology and innovation

The Role of Entrepreneurship in Stimulating Economic Growth in Developed and Developing Countries

Dr. Nóirín McCarthy, Spatial and Regional Economics Research Centre, Cork University Business School

Impact: International

This research analyses the relationship between different measure of entrepreneurship and economic growth in both developed and developing countries. SDG 8 aims to ensure that the benefits of economic growth accrue to the whole planet – both developing and developed countries.  Given this goal, this research takes a novel approach to exploring the relationship between entrepreneurship and economic growth by using country level data for developed and developing countries, in addition to 14 different indicators of entrepreneurship.  It has important implications for SDG 8, demonstrating both differences in, and the importance of, entrepreneurial attitudes and aspirations which can ultimately impact upon the creation of new jobs and enterprises across both developed and developing countries.

This research suggests that while entrepreneurial activity, in and of itself, is insufficient to support economic growth, positive entrepreneurial attitudes and aspirations are key.  This has significant policy implications for countries, highlighting the need to cultivate a positive view of entrepreneurship, rather than focusing on increasing the quantity of entrepreneurs.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.3 - Promote policies to support job creation and growing enterprises

Employment threats and Labour Market Shocks: What workers and places are more at risk to the economic shocks of automation?

Dr. Frank Crowley, Professor Justin Doran, Spatial and Regional Economic Research Centre, Cork University Business School

Impact: National, International

The results of our research suggest that the pattern of job risk from automation across Ireland demands policy that is not one size fits all. Instead, a localised, place-based, bottom-up approach to policy intervention is needed in Ireland and Europe, to reduce inequality and promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. In the European automation study, low risk regions are more prosperous, have a disproportionate share of talent and more sophisticated innovation systems. These technological and regional trends are likely to exacerbate the growing ‘geography of discontent’ evident in many European regions, which will require a rethinking of place-based intervention policies.

This research has been widely communicated, with the “Automation and Irish Towns” paper presented to academics, business practitioners, government departments, regional assemblies, local development agencies, local authorities, and social entrepreneurs at a ‘Creative Rural Economy’ workshop. The paper was covered on all major national, regional and local TV and radio stations. This work has subsequently received significant policy interest, with invited speaker presentations at the Department of Finance, meetings with the OECD and a citation in the OECDs 2020 Economic Survey of Ireland. An invitation was also received to present to the Low Pay Commission, to discuss the implications of the research findings for regional pay disparities. The “Automation and Industrial Structures” paper, co-authored with Prof. Philip McCann (University of Sheffield), adds to the nascent regional literature by identifying the regions in Europe that face the highest job risks associated with automation, and how the characteristics of the region’s economic structure contribute to this susceptibility or vulnerability.

It is understood that this paper is the most detailed yet undertaken in investigating these regional and spatial implications of automation in the EU context. The results of the automation work indicate that future automation and artificial technologies are predicted to hit already lagging areas harder. Present and past national and local institutional settings and policies in Ireland have failed to dampen significant regional inequalities from occurring and new frameworks, strategies and policies to tackle the concerns of lagging areas need to be considered by policymakers in the Irish case.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

Workplace mental health and well-being practices, Outcomes and Productivity: A Causal Analysis

Dr. Jane Bourke, Department of Economics, Cork University Business School & Social & Regional Economics Research Centre, UCC & Enterprise Research Centre, University of Warwick

Impact: International

This project addresses the link between employee mental health and well-being and productivity outcomes. It focuses on the causal processes by which employers can support better mental health and well-being and so boost productivity performance. Despite the scale of the impact of poor employee mental health and productivity little is known about the outcomes when employers implement mental health and well-being (MH&W) practices on employees' mental health and well-being and even less about the causal mechanisms through which poor MH&W influences firm-level productivity. The 2020 Australian Productivity Commission report on mental health concluded, for example, that 'there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions ... there has been difficulty in establishing the effectiveness of different programs and initiatives' (Productivity Commission, 2020, p. 342).

The ambitious aim of this research is to address this gap in understanding and to establish the causal mechanisms through which firms' adoption of MH&W practices can benefit productivity and productivity improvement. Which MH&W practices have the greatest benefit for employee mental health? Which have the greatest benefit for employee well-being? And, how do these effects impact firm-level productivity? Understanding these linkages is critical both during the recovery from Covid-19 and its attendant mental health impacts and in building higher and sustainable productivity in future years. This international project will collect firm-level data in Ireland, the UK and Sweden, providing new insights on the effects of the adoption of MH&W practices in the workplace, both in terms of employee mental health and on firm-level productivity.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Research and innovation and the role of competition in family-owned and family-managed firms

Yuping Yin, PhD candidate, Dr. Frank Crowley, Professor Justin Doran, Dr. Mari O'Connor, Spatial and Regional Economic Research Centre, Cork University Business School

Impact: International

This project examines the innovation behaviour of family-owned firms versus non-family-owned firms.  Innovation is a key tool for businesses to survive competition from rivals and this holds true for family-owned firms that are the main firm type in most economies. This project aims to improve our understandings around the innovation potential of family businesses by identifying the factors affecting innovation in family businesses versus their nonfamily firm counterparts. Contrary to the bulk of literature in this area, we find that that family firms are more innovative than non-family firms for all types of innovation activities, including R&D investment, product innovation and process innovation. Therefore, this work highlights the importance of family firms for the economy and informs policy makers that providing family firm intervention supports will be critical to sustainable economic growth. The role of internal family governance and the influence of external stimuli (competition) on innovation are also considered.

This research provides novel insights into family firm innovation dynamics by identifying family firms as more innovative than non-family firms for all types of indicators, debunking the idea that family firms are conservative, reluctant to change, and averse to the risks in innovation activities. The study's data set is based on a sample of companies in 38 countries in Europe and East Asia (including developed economies, developing economies and emerging economies), covering manufacturing, services and retail. Therefore, the research conclusions are new and relevant for family firm policy-making across most economy types.

“The path to survival and sustainable longevity in a globalized competitive market begins with a continuous ability to innovate. Therefore, family business owners, managers and policy makers need to develop strategies and policy’s that will help family businesses and in turn the global economy thrive.”

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.2 - Diversify, innovate and upgrade for economic productivity
• Target 8.3 - Promote policies to support job creation and growing enterprises

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Target 9.2 - Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation
  

The economic and social burden of population loss across Irish regions

Josh O'Driscoll, PhD student, Spatial and Regional Economics Research Centre (SRERC), Department of Economics & Department of Food Business & Development, Cork University Business School

Impact: International

In recent years, the importance of reducing spatial inequalities and ensuring areas and regions are not left behind has moved to the forefront of academics and policymakers’ attention. This research aims to show why certain areas are shrinking and others are not shrinking. The research will help inform regional development policy in shrinking areas aligning to SDG target 8.3 on the promotion of development-orientated policies and SDG target 10.4, which addresses inequalities across regions. It also helps to inform targets 11.3 and 11.a, providing important evidence on the links between urban, peri-urban, and rural population growth. Population shrinkage is not just an urban or rural problem, and a complicated regional shrinkage typology is emerging. Several areas are consistently losing population from census to census, while others only experience occasional intercensal shrinkage, whilst many others are experiencing population growth. This means policy solutions are complicated, and a one size fits all policy approach will likely fail in maximising the growth of shrinking regions. Rather than just ‘urban’ or just ‘rural’, we examine population shrinkage and growth in small areas across the short- and long-term time periods. A Core-periphery framework is applied to understand distance to larger towns and its effect on population shrinkage. The subregional data allows for a clearer picture of the trends which better informs policymaking with international relevance.

“Our research aims to empirically identify shrinking and growing regions and model the characteristics which shape who remains and who leaves these regions. This provide insights for policy makers and local agents on why regions are shrinking and growing with a particular focus on appropriate policy interventions.”

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.3 - Promote policies to support job creation and growing enterprises
  

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.4 - Adopt fiscal and social policies that promote equality

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.3 - Inclusive and sustainable urbanisation
• Target 11.a - Strong national and regional development planning

What workers and places are more at risk to the economic shock of COVID-19 and what impact will increased working from home have on the environment?

Dr. Frank Crowley, Professor Justin Doran, Spatial and Regional Economic Research Centre, Cork University Business School

Impact: National, International

COVID-19 is impacting labour markets, with evidence that social distancing and remote working effects are having an unequal impact across people and places, and further exacerbating existing job polarization and regional disparities. The changing nature of work could also have significant implications for the environment and the climate change challenge. This body of work examines the impact of COVID-19 on the geography of employment and the environment in an Irish context, with transferable lessons for other advanced nations. COVID-19: an occupation, sector and regional perspective was published (Oct, 2020) in the journal - Regional Science: Policy and Practice, which was one of the top downloaded and cited papers from 2019-2020 in that journal. At a time when economies throughout the world are experiencing one of the greatest health and economic shocks in recent memory, this COVID-19 publication shows more affluent, dense and highly populated, better educated, and better broadband provisioned urban areas have a greater potential for social distancing and remote working.

These results have direct implications for work under SDG 8, urban development under SDG 11 and climate change national, regional local planning under SDG 13. The impact of labour market disruptions and transport choice on the environment during COVID-19 is published in the journal - Transport Policy. The Climate Change Council requested use of the analysis and it has subsequently been cited in the ‘Greening Transport: Final Report’ by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). The results show that while those who commute by car have a relatively high potential for remote work, they are less likely to be able to engage in social distancing in their workplace. While this may be negative for employment prospects in the short run, this dynamic has the potential for positive environmental implications in the short and long run. This work addresses a significant academic and policy need in Irish society with transferable lessons for other countries internationally.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.1 - Sustainable economic growth

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.a - Strong national and regional development planning

SDG 13 - Climate Action

• Target 13.2 - Integrate climate change measures into policies and planning

Automated processing of regulatory documents to enhance organisations’ information systems

Department of Business Information Systems, Cork University Business School

Impact: Local, National, International

This research aims at developing annotated datasets, and natural language processing (NLP) methods and models leveraging knowledge representation artefacts, to advance the automated processing of rules and definitions in legal documents to assist organisations in areas such as regulatory compliance in the financial sector. This research builds on the work in the Marie Curie Fellowship titled "RegDef: A Computer-assisted Definition Authoring and Formalisation System for Legal Experts" carried out in partnership with a private company in the area of financial Regulatory Technologies (SDG 17). The outputs of the research will provide organisations with technological advances for compliance checking that will benefit them and workers in related sectors by reducing the amount of labour-intensive, repetitive tasks that can be automated to shift the focus on meaningful tasks, thus improving workers conditions and strengthening operational resilience of financial organisations (SDG 8 & SDG 9). This research has opened research collaborations with researchers within the BIS department in UCC, in Spain, in the UK, and in Peru.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Enhancing Consumer Protection in Financial Services

School of Applied Social Studies

Impact: International

This research looks at the evolution of financial regulations and how such regulations have responded to crises in recent years (the Global Financial Crisis, impacts of pandemic, and responding to calls for ethical, accountable and citizen-focused financial industry practices). This research aims to engage academics, civil society organizations and those within regulatory and financial industry sectors. By so doing, it seeks to build research networks between researchers and practitioners as to the nature of 'ethics' within financial services and if citizens' needs (including calls for sustainable, ethical, responsible practices) can be accommodated within regulations and industry conduct. This research seeks to contextualize the evolution of Irish and European financial regulations, particularly in how such regulations can/have responded to citizens' needs and institutional accountability.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Management control choice in the twilight zone: the organisation of emergent risk

Dr. Michelle Carr, Department of Accounting and Finance, Cork University Business School

Impact: International

Companies encounter a multitude of deep uncertainties and emergent risks that can threaten organisational functioning and performance. Emergent risks include the potential of severe economic downturns, threats of cyber terrorism, rapid and unexpected demographic and climate changes, energy challenges, shifting customs and tax agreements, and, of course, pandemics caused by exotic diseases. These emergent risks pose distinct challenges for management control. So far, however, we know little about the management control processes, practices and techniques which help to organise an emergent risk. How much attention is paid, and who pays attention to, an emerging risk? To what extent do organisational roles and work routines change in response to an emerging risk? When are existing and new management control processes and practices advanced in response to an emerging risk.  There is a need for research to better explain what we know about the organisation of emergent risk, including how to enable management control choices which not only respond to risk but which, help to, mitigate it as and when it arises also. The purpose of this research is to contribute by relating management control choice in the organisation of the same emergent risk in three similar, but different, companies.

This research has been presented at leading international accounting conferences (e.g. Aalto Business School). The findings have also been contained in a report edited by Dr. Mary Murphy of UCC called Brexit and the Cork Effect. This report was presented to and launched by Taoiseach Michael Martin and was subsequently reported upon by the Irish Examiner in June 2022. The research is currently under review by the European Accounting Review for publication.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being