Aidan has published ground-breaking international research on a variety of topics that include the impact of globalisation and foreign investment; the consequences of austerity; the clash of capitalisms’ in Europe; the rise of wealth and income inequalities; the effect of unequal access to housing; the determinants of voting behaviour; the transformation of work and social class; the politics of welfare reform; corporate tax avoidance; and the future of capitalist democracy.

Aidan is a strong believer that economics is first and foremost a social science. He identifies as a political economist, and specialises in studying the transformation of capitalist democracies from the post-war period to the present. He argues that many of the economic measurements and concepts that underpin Irish and European policymaking today are no longer fit for purpose, and need radical reform.

Aidan is not afraid to ask provocative questions, or provide original solutions. A core theme that runs through his recent work is whether liberal democracies can solve the problems of contemporary capitalism – climate emergency, wealth inequalities, digital transformations, and the need to reform taxation and the welfare state. He argues that if the EU is to generate the capacity to solve the complex problems of our age, we need to delegate more fiscal sovereignty to Brussels.

The future of European integration. Drawing upon a variety of new research sources, Aidan will discuss the future trajectory of fiscal and monetary policy in Europe. He will ask whether it is possible for diverse ‘models of capitalism’ to co-exist within the eurozone, identify the key challenges facing Ireland, and discuss the brave new world (and consequences) of European Central Banking. Aidan will make the case for radically reforming the Eurozone’s fiscal rules.

The challenge of capitalist democracy: Drawing upon new sources of evidence from economic sociology, political economy, and economic geography, Aidan will discuss the core challenges facing ‘democratic capitalism’ – changing socio-class occupational structures, economic polarisation, unequal access to housing wealth, precarious work, mismeasurements of the cost of living, and the intra-regional inequalities associated with concentrated growth in metropolitan cities. Aidan will make the case for why we need to rethink our growth models for the future.