At Just Economics we believe that research should be rigorous yet accessible, and support our clients to use evidence to implement progressive change

Corn Fakes: The social and economic costs of the removal of micronutrients from Kellogg’s cereals

Since 2013, there is evidence that Kellogg's has been removing key mirconutrients from its breakfast cereals in Mexico. This report makes an economic assessment of the savings to Kelloggs and compares this to the cost to the health, well-being and development of Mexican society. It estimates that Kellogg’s saved $85 million USD over five years from this practice, whilst the minimum cumulative social cost to Mexico for the removal of just three key nutrients will be $250 million USD over five years. This means for every dollar that Kellogg’s saves by de-fortifying cereals it destroys at least three dollars in value to Mexican consumers. The report discusses the implications of this for Mexican society.

Evaluation of the Nordic Development Fund

The Nordic Development Fund (NDF) is the joint development finance institution of the five Nordic countries. The objective of NDF's operations is to facilitate climate change investments, primarily in low-income countries.  NDF finances projects usually in cooperation with bilateral, multilateral and other development institutions. The operations mirror the Nordic countries’ priorities in the areas of climate change and development. 

This report assesses the social and environmental impact of NDF in the countries within which it invests, and makes recommendations to improve its development impact in the future. 

Breaking Point: An analysis of the impact of budget cuts on children's services in Ireland

In March 2019, Barnardos commissioned Just Economics to undertake research on the impact of the current funding environment on their services. This report formed the basis of Barnardos 2020 budget submission. It describes how a constrained funding environment is rapidly becoming unsustainable for organisations working with children and families. It sets out the costs to society of historic underinvestment and the impact this had on societal outcomes such as health, crime, well-being. An index of these outcomes shows how Ireland is second from the bottom in a sample of European economies.  The report sets out a series of recommendations to strengthen Barnardos sustainablity and, in turn, their ability to meet needs within their communities.