Events and activities

IGEES provides a range of platforms for policy discussion, knowledge brokerage, and cross-government collaboration. These includes Strategic Policy Discussions – discussion forums for research and analysis across the civil and public service and in the research community on topical policy issues, IGEES Conferences, and other knowledge sharing activities. IGEES members also participate in external conferences and seminars, including the Dublin Economics Workshop (DEW) and Irish Economic Association (IEA) annual conference.

Spring Conference 2025

The IGEES Spring Conference, which, this year, took place on 9th April, provides an opportunity for showcasing IGEES research across government departments, with an emphasis on early-stage research. The conference is an important knowledge-sharing event for IGEES, providing an opportunity for presenters to receive feedback and input on their work while research is still ongoing.

The 2025 conference featured discussions on the topics of:

• Health and Disability
• Labour Market Developments
• Data and Evaluation
• The Economy and the Public Finances

A keynote session was provided by representatives of the newly established Scottish Government Centre of Expertise for Appraisal and Evaluation, who outlined the development of the Scottish Government Evaluation Action Plan 2024 and how the Centre will deliver that Plan. The session showcased the experiences, achievements, and challenges of the Scottish Government in embedding a strong culture of appraisal and evaluation right across all policy areas in the Scottish system, with a clear focus on the use of evidence in developing and evaluating policies to understand ‘what works’ and demonstrate value for money.

The conference was opened by Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform, and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers, who highlighted the role of IGEES in driving analysis and evaluation, strengthening the evidence base for decision-making, resource allocation and budgetary strategy in the pursuit of fiscal sustainability and better public services, living standards and infrastructure.

The IGEES Annual Conference will take place in November 2025.

The Young Economist of the Year (YEOTY) awards started in 2013 and aim to promote the subject of economics at second level through the development of a significant national award.

YEOTY also seeks to generate interest in the practical application of economics, and to highlight opportunities for further study and career choices.

IGEES has been involved in YEOTY since 2019 and the IGEES category encourages secondary school students to engage in projects which deal with topical policy issues, promoting the importance of policy analysis in the supporting public service delivery, and showcasing the potential of future career options in policy and economic analysis within the public service.

Promoting an interest in policy analysis to a wide cohort of students at second level, can contributing to building a more diverse future public service workforce.

The Young Economist of the Year is supported by Oide under the auspices of the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the Department of Education. Further information on YEOTY can be found at https://www.youngeconomist.ie/