Browse all the articles published on the Research Matters blog, with the most recent articles appearing at the top.
By Michael Scholes & Aidan Stennett To highlight International Women’s Day, this blog article updates a previous one examining the Gender Pay Gap in Northern
Please note that more up-to-date statistics on gender representation can be found in the RaISe research paper Who Runs Northern Ireland? A Summary of Statistics
This paper presents a brief demographic profile of Northern Ireland, updating a previous article on this subject in 2016. It shows emerging trends in the
The finances of Northern Ireland’s schools have been in the spotlight for some time. For example, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster is currently
Please note: this article was edited on 11.2.20 with up-to-date GIS maps showing travel distances to GP practices for 2015 and 2020. Geographical Information Systems
A high profile consequence of the continuing failure to establish an Executive and fully functioning Assembly was the legislative passage this week of the Northern
This week is Libraries Week so we thought we would provide an insight into the Northern Ireland Assembly Library, its work and the collection that
Please note: This version of the Brexit and Northern Ireland reading list has now been superseded. For the very latest version, please see here. The
Northern Ireland (NI) currently has 44 Accredited museums. But how does this compare with elsewhere and how should we go about assessing whether our museums
This post examines financial support provided by Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) to businesses located in Northern Ireland (NI) from 2013-14 to 2017-18, identifying key
This article is a revised and updated version of a post originally published in June 2017. The perceived underfunding of social care was a significant
This article is a revised and updated version of a post originally published in June 2017. This article outlines the contribution made by carers to
Measures which show the spatial distribution of deprivation have been used in Northern Ireland since the 1990s, and play a prominent role in terms of
The most recent Global Report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that over 71 million people were ‘of concern’ in 2017.
Higher Education (HE) students everywhere are turning their attention towards exams. Many not only face their final exams, but also the decision over where
You have received this message because you have subscribed to email updates from our Research Matters blog. Here, we set out how we use and
This article unpicks key recent developments relating to public finance in Northern Ireland (NI), while there is no functioning Executive or Assembly and there is
Rates are a property tax paid by households and businesses. There are two different types of rates in Northern Ireland, domestic rates for residential properties
Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent HMRC annual trade data, see here. This blog post
By Michael Scholes & Aidan Stennett Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent data, see here.
Please note: This version of the Brexit and Northern Ireland reading list has now been superseded. For the very latest version, please see here. The
This week sees people across Northern Ireland getting interested and involved in science through the Northern Ireland Science Festival. We thought we would join
By Lesley-Ann Black & Dan Hull This article examines levels of childhood obesity and inactivity in our children in Northern Ireland and asks what more
By Des McKibbin & Keara McKay As temperatures plummetted towards the end of November 2017, forecasters began to predict the coldest December in seven years.
Our blog has just published its 100th article. The Assembly Research and Information Service launched Research Matters in May 2016 in order to provide short,
An ageing population and increasing budgetary pressures have forced the Scottish and Welsh Governments to ask whether it is sustainable to continue providing free travel
Climate change and the need for legislation to address it still remains a debate in Northern Ireland (NI), where specific legislation has not yet been
Yesterday, in the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced some changes to the United Kingdom (UK) Government’s spending plans based on the
To mark World GIS day, this article will look at how the Northern Ireland Assembly uses GIS to communicate data in effective and engaging ways.
This article examines the Budget Bill put forward today by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (NI) in Westminster. The recent blog article Reclaiming
