Limerick University economist to advise Irish prime minister

University of Limerick economist Stephen Kinsella has been named as economic advisor to Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris.

He will be seconded to the role on a part-time basis, but continue his duties at the university.

Kinsella’s research has focused on small, open economies, and the use of national accounting data to improve macroeconomic models. He has two PhDs in economics, and was appointed as professor of economics at Limerick in 2022.

He is head of the economics department at the University of Limerick’s Kemmy Business School, and is the co-director of the university’s immersive software engineering program. He is a research associate at the Rhodes Centre for International Finance at Brown University.

Commenting on the appointment, Kinsella said: “It will be a privilege to help the Taoiseach [prime minister] in his role by applying some of the ideas developed here in the Department of Economics. Hopefully I can bring that and other insights to the discussion around economic policy at a key time for the country. I can’t wait to get started.”

Kinsella is also a member of the Irish government’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council and chairs the external advisory board to the Economic Evaluation Service.