Mental Health and Public Policy Workshop

I am co-organising a workshop on mental health and public policy design (along with Professor Orla Doyle and Karen Arulsamy at UCD). It takes place online on March 3rd from 2pm to 5pm GMT. Registration and details of the workshop are available on this link. It is based in the Irish public policy context but should be of wider interest. The workshop will explore the role of mental health considerations in thinking about a wide range of public policy issues, including labour markets, financial regulation, health policy, and other areas. This was traditionally a long-neglected and mostly highly specialised niche in areas like labour economics, public administration, and related fields. However, the last decade has seen a large increase in interest in the role of mental health in shaping a wide range of economic outcomes and the policy implications that derive from this, with a number of new journals and networks forming. 

The Role of Mental Health in Public Policy

March 3 2021, 2pm to 5pm

The rapid rise in mental health issues in Ireland due to Covid-19 necessitates a deeper understanding of how mental health intersects with policy design and implementation. The event will bring together academics and practitioners to discuss :

•  the implications of growing mental health issues on policy design in the areas of labour market, financial, education and health policies
•  the impact of public policy design itself on the mental health of individuals
•  the role of behavioural science in public policy to address inequalities that individuals with mental health issues experience

Participation is free but you’ll have to register to participate.

Register for this meeting by clicking here:

https://ucd-ie.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Ypd–rrj0uEtwpRebfXnMwKx3uF8DjEIzi

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Feel free to send questions to karen.arulsamy@ucdconnect.ie

The preliminary schedule is below:

14:00 – 14:05: Introduction

14:05 – 14:30: Professor Liam Delaney (LSE) on “Mental Health and Labour Market Policies”

14:30 – 14.55: Dr. Sharon Walsh (NUI Galway) on “Mental Health Services Design in Higher Education in Ireland“

14.55 – 15:20: Dr. Anne Nolan (ESRI) on the “Risk and Protective Factors for Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Ireland”

15:20 – 15:45: Karen Arulsamy (UCD) on “The Impact of Automatic Enrolment on the Mental Health Gap in Pension Participation”

15.45 – 16.00: Break

16.00 – 17.00: Panel Discussion with Dr. Joseph Duffy (CEO at Jigsaw), Annmarie O’Connor (Business Manager at Money Advice & Budgeting Service Ireland) and Dr. Philip Dodd (Clinical Advisor of National Office for Suicide Prevention, HSE)

Organising committee :

Prof. Liam Delaney, Prof. Orla Doyle, Karen Arulsamy