The economic inactivity problem which NI faces has been well documented over time, however, there remain gaps in how we understand the place-based nature of economic inactivity, joblessness and other employment-related outcomes. We propose to examine one crucial problem which is unique to NI to enhance the evidence base for policymakers in tackling economic inactivity. We are setting out to understand how NI’s position as post-conflict society and the resulting impact this has had on health (Devlin et al., 2025) may be feeding into the high levels of economic inactivity and poorer employment outcomes which are experienced in some areas. To date, this has not been addressed in any meaningful way, at least that we are aware of.
We will match an area-level measure of conflict-related fatalities as a proxy for conflict intensity to individual level data from the 2011 and 2021 census data. This will enable us to examine how employment outcomes (or non-employment) differ between individuals living in areas which experienced greater levels of conflict and those which experienced much less conflict. A similar approach in measuring conflict exposure has been taken by Devlin et al. (2025) and French & Cruise (2021). As inactivity due to health issues is the largest component of inactivity in NI (Devlin et al, 2023) we will also consider how health differs between those exposed to conflict and those who weren’t and how this subsequently impacts their labour market outcomes. This work will have significant policy implications which are unique to the Northern Irish context.
