A new institute, which will examine the long term challenges facing Ireland and suggest possible policy responses, has been launched today in Dublin. The Collins Institute will consider how the economic recovery can best be used to help build a Just Republic in Ireland. A guiding principle in all of its work will be the importance of citizen involvement in the formulation and implementation of policy.
The Institute believes that continued Irish renewal should be based around the core ideas of empowered citizens, a social market economy, a more enabling state and stronger communities.
Marian Coy, Chairperson of the Collins Institute said: “We need to choose what to care about and what to do over the next five to ten years. To this end, the Collins Institute hopes to engage at all levels with those seeking to create a different future. All policy development and all recommendations will be characterised by the centrality of the citizen. It is clear that any republic must focus on the three principles of accountability, sustainability and subsidiarity. These principles were all too often ignored during the Celtic Tiger period.”
The Collins Institute is a Fine Gael initiative. The Institute’s name recognises the crucial role which Michael Collins played in the creation of the Irish state. The Institute will strive to build on the sense of purpose and the concern for justice, opportunity and social reform outlined in Declan Costello’s/Fine Gael’s Just Society policy document.
Sean Faughnan, Director of the Collins Institute said: “A key objective of the Institute is to work closely with like-minded institutes and think tanks in other countries, particularly those which are associated with the Martens Centre – the think tank of the European People’s Party. Our goal is to examine how a Just Republic might be established as we approach 2022, the centenary of the founding of the Irish state and the death of Michael Collins.”
All papers published by the Institute are intended for discussion purposes only and do not represent Fine Gael policy.