Category Archives: Rural Development

Making the Transition to a Low Carbon Society in the Western Region— Key issues for rural dwellers.

Posted on August 5, 2020 by WDC Insights

The transition to a low carbon economy is one of many challenges facing the Western Region and Ireland at this point in time.  Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, today launched the Western Development Commission (WDC) report … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action, Energy, low carbon, Rural Development, Rural Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Remote Working in Ireland During Covid-19 – Initial Findings from WDC/NUIG Survey

Posted on May 13, 2020 by WDC Insights

Introduction The WDC in partnership with Whitaker Institute NUIG has just published initial findings of its survey Remote Working in Ireland During COVID-19, see here. These are the summary results from the national survey of 7,241 individuals across a wide … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Sectors, Economy, Employment, Regional Development, Regional Statistics, Rural Development | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Challenges and interventions for transitioning to renewable heat in rural homes

Posted on February 27, 2020 by WDC Insights

To reduce the carbon footprint of our rural homes, the decarbonisation of the energy used for heat is essential. We have to switch to renewable energy, either electrical (generated from wind, solar or in future ocean energy) or bioenergy (e.g. … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action, low carbon, renewable, Rural Development, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Changes in electricity generation and supply—some impacts for rural dwellers

Posted on January 17, 2020 by WDC Insights

As we move towards a lower carbon society one of the key trends will be increased electrification and using renewable electricity to fuel our heat and transport.  This will involve very significant changes in how we consume and are supplied … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action, Electricity, renewable, Rural Development | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What do we know about electricity consumption in rural households?

Posted on January 13, 2020 by WDC Insights

The way we use electricity in our rural homes, and the opportunities for change, are important considerations for how we to transition to low carbon living.   Unlike heat and transport, there are few significant differences between urban and rural dwellers … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action, Electricity, low carbon, renewable, Rural Development | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Agency Workers – How Many Are There and Where do they Work?

Posted on November 13, 2019 by WDC Insights

Introduction There is much discussion about the growth of ‘atypical’ forms of work – such as e-working, remote working, the gig, shared economy and temporary work etc. The WDC has previously examined various aspects of atypical ways of working, identifying … Continue reading →

Posted in Census, Disparity, Economic Sectors, Economy, Employment, Regional Statistics, Rural Development, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Information Society Statistics – The Regional Picture

Posted on October 31, 2019 by WDC Insights

The CSO has recently published statistics on household use of the internet, measuring various aspects of the information society. Given the significant importance of the National Broadband Plan, aimed at delivering better internet access for all, especially those in rural … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadband, Census, Economic Sectors, Economy, Financial & ICT Services, Local Government, Population, Regional Development, Rural Development | Leave a comment

Reprioritising and Updating Transport Policy and Investment

Posted on October 17, 2019 by WDC Insights

Recently, there have been a few publications which focus on the need to reprioritise policy and investment across various aspects of Irish transport infrastructure and services. The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) has published a paper entitled Building a Transport infrastructure … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action, Economic Sectors, Infrastructure, Regional Development, Roads, Rural Development, Transport | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies- the final steps

Posted on September 27, 2019 by WDC Insights

The long process of developing a National Planning Framework under Project Ireland 2040 is nearing its end, with the publication of the three regional Spatial and Economic Strategies anticipated shortly.  Each of the three regional assemblies (Eastern and Midland, Southern, … Continue reading →

Posted in Population, Regional Development, Rural Development | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

200th WDC Insights blog post – Our Top 5!

Posted on June 6, 2019 by WDC Insights

It is hard to believe but this is our 200th post since the Policy Analysis team’s WDC Insights blog was first launched on 25th July 2014. Over the last (almost) five years and 200 posts we have addressed everything from … Continue reading →

Posted in Census, NPF & RSES, Regional Development, Regional policy, Regional Statistics, Rural Development, Settlements | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment