Could responsibility for Assembly elections be devolved?
18th May 2016
On 5 May voters went to the polls to elect 108 Members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Elections in Northern Ireland are an excepted matter,
Latest Articles
Browse all the articles published on the Research Matters blog, with the most recent articles appearing at the top.
Planning in a new environment
16th May 2016
The planning system has undergone much change recently, so what are the new structures and how has the balance of responsibility shifted between central and
Recent changes in the Northern Ireland labour market
11th May 2016
Northern Ireland (NI) was impacted heavily by the global recession that began in 2008. The recovery since has been slow in the United Kingdom (UK)
The challenge of implementing welfare reform in Northern Ireland
11th May 2016
The Welfare Reform Bill was undoubtedly one of the most contentious pieces of legislation to come before the Assembly in the last mandate. Where have
Ready for Ageing? How are policy makers approaching the challenges of an ageing population?
5th May 2016
Population ageing has been identified as a major societal challenge common to most European countries, particularly in terms of health and social care provision. In
What does the future hold for cycling policy in Northern Ireland?
5th May 2016
Cycling is one of our most popular leisure pursuits but can it move from being a hobby to an everyday transport mode and, importantly, replace
Unpicking the Executive’s Budget 2016-17
4th May 2016
How were resources allocated to the nine Executive departments, and how much did they get? On 13th January 2016 the Minister of Finance and Personnel
A new mandate, a new Environment
3rd May 2016
Local government underwent significant structural change in 2015 with the number of councils reducing from 26 to 11, and the transfer of many functions from
Human Rights in Northern Ireland: What if the Human Rights Act were repealed?
2nd May 2016
The Belfast Agreement in 1998 contained a comprehensive suite of human rights safeguards. These include the introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
A demographic profile of Northern Ireland in 2016
29th April 2016
Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent data, see here. This article presents a brief demographic
Geographic Information Services in the Northern Ireland Assembly: What do we provide for Members?
28th April 2016
Everything happens somewhere. How does the Northern Ireland Assembly’s in-house geographic information service help Members analyse and visualise complex data? Over 80% of data used
Transforming Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland: A Recent History
27th April 2016
Across the developed world, governments are striving to transform how they deliver and manage health and social care in a way which is fit for
Are current farm incomes sustainable?
26th April 2016
Farm incomes over the last five years in Northern Ireland have shown considerable volatility and this presents challenges for the long- term sustainability of the
What are the trade implications for Northern Ireland of the UK leaving the EU?
25th April 2016
A referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU is to take place on Thursday 23rd June. Voters will be asked ‘Should the United Kingdom remain