Mooney, Robert

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Mooney, Robert
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Mooney, Robert

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  • Publication
    A model supporting research on children growing up in asylum systems
    (University College Dublin. Geary Institute for Public Policy, 2015-05)
    Mooney, Robert 
    Recent media reports and public policy debates have highlighted concerns regarding the impact on children of growing up in Direct Provision Centres (DP) in the asylum system in Ireland. This system has been criticised for the poor quality of the accommodation in which asylum seekers reside and the inadequate provision of resources, services and supports to meet their basic needs. Children’s development is significantly influenced by their environment. The risks and opportunities experienced at this stage of life can radically influence their social skills, mental wellbeing, and their physical health (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Evidence suggests that the children of immigrant populations face additional challenges of integration into their host societies (Ager and Strang, 2004). This review of national and international research suggests that these issues are compounded in the case of children growing up in asylum systems. As some children spend between four 4 and eight 8 years living in these institutions, it is critical to assess the developmental consequences of growing up in DP. This paper examines the national and international legislation governing asylum systems, provides an overview of the Irish Direct Provision system and suggests a model under which these cases may be analysed across different societal levels.
      884
  • Publication
    Attitudes to Renewable Energy Technologies: Driving Change in Early Adopter Markets
    (University College Dublin. School of Economics, 2020-09)
    Mukherjee, Sanghamitra 
    ;
    Meles, Tensay 
    ;
    Ryan, L. (Lisa B.) 
    ;
    Healy, Séin 
    ;
    Mooney, Robert 
    ;
    Sharpe, Lindsay 
    ;
    Hayes, Paul 
    This paper explores the motivations behind the adoption of key renewable energy technologies in an early adopter market. Notwithstanding their social benefits, uptake of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar photovoltaic panels remains low, necessitating targeted measures to address this. We conducted a comprehensive survey of a nationally representative sample of Irish households and analysed this rich dataset using pairwise group comparisons and a factor analysis combined with a logit regression model. We found fundamental differences between adopters and non-adopters. Current adopters tend to be younger, more educated, of higher socio-economic status, and more likely to live in newer buildings of generous size than non-adopters. Environmental attitudes are an insufficient predictor of uptake - whilst non-adopters self-report as being more sustainable, adopters believe that their own decisions impact climate change. Importantly, social processes will be instrumental in future uptake. Word-of-mouth recommendation will matter greatly in communicating the use and benefits of technologies as evident from the significantly larger social networks that current adopters enjoy. Using these insights, policy incentives can be designed according to public preferences.
      317