There is No Alternative! Or is there? We need to talk about economics in GCE.
14 October 2026
A central commitment of Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is to explore the root causes of global injustice and inequality. Probably the biggest 'root cause' is our neoliberal model of economics.
Yet, despite intensifying global inequality, climate and ecological breakdown, and economic and political crises, the economic systems and assumptions underpinning many of these challenges can remain relatively unexplored within our GCE practice.
Research commissioned by the Centre for Global Education and Financial Justice Ireland, Challenging the Dominant Economic Paradigm? (2022) and Exploring the Elephant in the Room (2025), identified both a strong appetite among GCE / Development Education practitioners to engage more deeply with the economic root causes of poverty and inequality, and a need for further professional development to support practitioners in bringing explicit economic analysis into their work. This training event organised in collaboration between IDEA, FJI and CGE responds directly to those findings.
It aims to:
create a participatory space for GCE practitioners to critically examine the dominant economic growth model of development, related policies, and their impacts;
explore how neoliberal ideas have come to be treated as economic “common sense”;
introduce practical approaches to root-cause and systems analysis, applying them to local, national, and global issues of poverty and inequality;
explore alternative economic models and approaches already being put into practice locally and globally; and
build collective confidence to bring a stronger economic analysis into our GCE practice.
Speaker biographies
Davie Philip - is a facilitator and sustainable community development practitioner with over 25 years’ experience. A co-founder of Cloughjordan Ecovillage in County Tipperary, his work focuses on community resilience, local food systems, participative democracy and community-led and cooperative approaches to housing. He is part of Wellbeing Economy Alliance Ireland, working to reshape the economy around the wellbeing of people, communities and the natural world.
Conor McCabe - Dr. Conor McCabe is a researcher and historian. He works mainly with grassroots political, trade union, artist, and community groups. He is the author of two political economy books: Sins of the Father (2013) and Money (2018). He is currently editing the complete writings of James Connolly."
Oisín Gilmore - is Senior Economist at TASC. He has responsibility for research on economic policy and economic inequality recently writing the TASC Inequality in Ireland report 2026. He previously worked as an economist in the Labour Market and Skills Unit at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Prior to that, he worked for the 4-Day Week Campaign Ireland. He has also worked in the Humboldt University of Berlin, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Groningen, the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), University College London, and State Street. His primary research interests are on the interactions between economic development, history and the organisation of work and social movements.
Meaghan Carmody - is a Senior Sustainability Advisor for Business in the Community Ireland and holds a Master's degree in International Political Economy from University College Dublin (UCD). She has extensive experience in fostering engagement for climate action and has worked with various organizations advocating for sustainable development and environmental policies. She coordinated Coalition 2030 using the SDGs to really push forward the sustainability agenda. Her work has been recognized for its impact on sustainable business and environmental policy in Ireland.
Date: Wednesday, 14 October, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Location: Brandsma Room in the Carmelite Centre
Fee:
€3.00 - Students/unwaged
€10.00 - Members
€20.00 - Non-members
