Dr Olive Sweetman

    Economics

    Lecturer

    Rhetoric House
    26
    (01) 708 3556

    Biography

    Olive Sweetman is a lecturer in Economics at Maynooth University. She obtained her Ph.D from the University of Iowa in 1994. Her main interests are in the areas of labour economics and the economics of education. She has published articles examining the gender and racial wage gap, single-sex education, inequality and intergenerational mobility. Her research has been published in leading international economics journals including the Journal of Economic Inequality, Journal of Human Resources, Labour Economics, the Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, the Economics of Education Review and the IZA Journal of Labor Economics. She was a member of the board of Combat Poverty from 2003-2006 and served as editor of the Economic and Social Review from 2010-2013.

    Research Interests

    Labour and Inequality

    Research Projects

    Title Role Description Start date End date Amount
    Research on the Introduction of a Living Wage in Ireland Co PI The Research will review the national and international evidence on the impact of the introduction of a living wage in Ireland 25/06/2021 25/11/2021 24853
    Earnings Dynamics and Inequality Across European Countries Member of Research Team 01/11/2007 31/10/2008 39176
    PRTLI Cycle 3 Member of Maynooth Labour Group (named partner in UCD led research proposal) 01/01/2002 31/12/2007 100000
    Inequality in Ireland Member of Maynooth Research Team 01/01/1997 31/12/1997 3800
    Male-Female Wages in Ireland Member of Maynooth Research Team 01/01/1999 31/12/1999 6300
    Inequality and its Implicatons for the Irish Labour Market Member of Research Team 01/01/1997 31/12/1997 5700

    Peer Reviewed Journal

    Year Publication
    2022 Doris, A; O'Neill, D; Sweetman, O (2022) 'Good schools or good students? The importance of selectivity for school rankings'. Oxford Review of Education, 48 (6):804-826. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2020 Aedín Doris, Donal O'Neill, Olive Sweetman (2020) 'Does Reducing Unemployment Benefits During a Recession Reduce Youth Unemployment? Evidence from a 50% Cut in Unemployment Assistance'. Journal of Human Resources, 55 (3):902-925. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2015 Aedin Doris, Donal O'Neill, Olive Sweetman (2015) 'Wage Flexibility and the Great Recession: the response of the Irish Labour Market'. IZA JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN LABOR STUDIES, 4:18 . [Full-Text]
    2006 O'Neill, D; Olive, S; Van De Gaer, D (2006) 'The impact of cognitive skills on the distribution of the black-white wage gap'. Labour Economics, 13 :343-356. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2020 Aedín Doris; Donal O'Neill; Olive Sweetman (2020) 'How Important are Firms in Explaining Wage Changes During a Recession?'. Economica, 87 (345):282-298. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2015 O'Neill D.; Sweetman O. (2015) 'Bounding obesity rates in the presence of self-reporting errors'. Empirical Economics, . [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2013 O’Neill D.; Sweetman O. (2013) 'The consequences of measurement error when estimating the impact of obesity on income'. THE IZA JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS, 2 (1). [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2013 Doris, A; O'Neill, D; Sweetman, O (2013) 'Identification of the covariance structure of earnings using the GMM estimator'. Journal of Economic Inequality, 11 :343-372. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2013 Doris, A; O'Neill, D; Sweetman, O (2013) 'Gender, single-sex schooling and maths achievement'. Economics of Education Review, 35 :104-119. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2011 Doris, A; O'Neill, D; Sweetman, O (2011) 'GMM estimation of the covariance structure of longitudinal data on earnings'. Stata Journal, 11 :439-459. [Full-Text]
    2007 O'Neill D.; Sweetman O.; Van de gaer D. (2007) 'The effects of measurement error and omitted variables when using transition matrices to measure intergenerational mobility'. Journal of Economic Inequality, 5 (2):159-178. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2001 D. O'Neill and O.Sweetman (2001) 'Inequality in Ireland 1987-1994: A Comparison using Measures of Income and Consumption'. Journal of Income Distribution, 10 :23-39. [Full-Text]
    2000 O'Neill, D; Sweetman, O; Van de gaer, D (2000) 'Equality of opportunity and kernel density estimation: An application to intergenerational mobility'. Advances In Econometrics, Vol 14, 14 :259-274. [Full-Text]
    1998 O'Neill, D; Sweetman, O (1998) 'Intergenerational mobility in Britain: Evidence from unemployment patterns'. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 60 :431-447. [Full-Text]
    1996 Dolton, P; ONeill, D; Sweetman, O (1996) 'Gender differences in the changing labor market - The role of legislation and inequality in changing the wage gap for qualified workers in the United Kingdom'. Journal of Human Resources, 31 :549-565. [Full-Text]

    Book Chapter

    Year Publication
    2000 O’Neill, D and O. Sweetman, O. (2000) 'Earnings Inequality and the Distribution of Gender Wage Differences,  1987-1994' In: How Unequal? Men and Women in the Irish Labour Market. ESRI General  Research Series. Dublin : Oaktree Press.
    1999 D.O'Neill and O.Sweetman (1999) 'Female Labour Force Participation and Household Income Inequality in Ireland' In: Brian Nolan(Eds.). The Distribution of Income in Ireland. Dublin : Oak Tree Press/Combat Poverty Agency.

    Published Report

    Year Publication
    2013 Sweetman, Olive (with Delma Byrne, Aedín Doris, Ruth Casey, David Raffe) (2013) A National Evaluation of the HEAR and DARE Supplementary Admission Routes to Higher Education: Report Commissioned by the HEAR DARE Strategic Development Group of the Irish Universities Association. Technical Report. DARE/HEAR Strategic Development Group, .

    Conference Contribution

    Year Publication
    2022 Aedin Doris, Donal O'Neill, Olive Sweetman (2022) Why Do the Earnings of Male and Female Graduates Diverge? The Role of Motherhood and Job Dynamics Educational Statistics Liaison Group Meeting Central Statistics Office, Dublin, .
    2021 Aedin Doris, Donal O'Neill, Olive Sweetman (2021) Research on the Introduction of a Living Wage in Ireland Presentation to the Low Pay Commission Dublin, .
    2019 Olive Sweetman (2019) Good schools or good students? The importance of selectivity for school rankings Growing up in Ireland Annual Conference Dublin, .
    2018 Olive Sweetman (2018) Does Reducing Unemployment Benefits During a Recession Reduce Youth Unemployment? Evidence from a 50% Cut in Unemployment Assistance US SOLE (Society of Labour Economics) Annual Conference Raleigh, North Carolina, .
    2015 Olive Sweetman (2015) Wage Adjustment in Ireland: Within and Between-firm Effects Irish Economics Association Annual Conference Dublin, .
    2014 Olive Sweetman (2014) Wage Flexibility in Ireland. The Labour Market over the Business Cycl Central Bank of Ireland Labour Market Conference Dublin, .
    2014 Olive Sweetman (2014) Wage Flexibility and the Great Recession: The Response of the Irish Labour Market” Labour Markets during Crises Conference Maynooth University, .
    2013 Olive Sweetman (2013) The Consequences of Measurement Error when Estimating the Impact of BMI on Labour Market Outcomes European Society of Population Economics Annual Conference Aarhus, Denmark, .
    2010 Olive Sweetman (2010) Irish Economic Association Conference Identification of the Covariance Structure of Earnings using the GMM estimator Belfast, .
    2009 (2009) International Reserach on Intergenerational Mobility: A Review Questionnaire and Experiments in Equality of Opportunity Workshop Marseille, .
    2009 (2009) Estimating Models of Earnings Dynamics with the European Community Household Panel Conference on Income and Earnings Dynamics NUI Maynooth, .
    2005 Olive Sweetman (2005) Implications of Specification Error when Transition Matrices are used to Measure Intergenerational Mobility’ Society for the Study of Economic Inequality Conference Palma Majorca Palma, Majorca, .
    2002 Olive Sweetman (2002) College Attendance, Tuition and Family Income: Evidence from Ireland Irish Economics Association Annual Conference Mullingar, .
    2001 Olive Sweetman (2001) Consequences of Specification Error for Distributional Analysis with an Application to Intergenerational Mobility American Econometric Society Summer Meeting University of Maryland, .
    2001 Olive Sweetman (2001) Consequences of Specification Error for Distributional Analysis with an Application to Intergenerational Mobility ESF sponsored Conference on Mobility, Demographics and the Labout Market University of Bristol, .
    2001 Olive Sweetman (2001) Consequences of Specification Error for Distributional Analysis with an Application to Intergenerational Mobility European Society for Population Economics Conference Athens, Greece, .
    2000 Olive Sweetman (2000) Estimating Counterfactual Densities: An Application to Black-White Wage Differentials in the US Irish Economics Association Annual Conference Waterford, .
    2000 Olive Sweetman (2000) Estimating Counterfactual Densities: An Application to Black-White Wage Differentials in the US Joint American/European Society of Labor Economists Milan, .

    Book Review

    Year Publication
    1998 Sweetman, O (1998) Ireland at Work. Economic and Social Review Vol 29(3): [Book Review]

    Working Paper

    Year Publication
    2013 Olive Sweetman and Donal O'Neill (2013) Estimating Obesity Rates in the Presence of Measurement Error. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2012 Donal O'Neill and Olive Sweetman (2012) The Consequences of Measurement Error when Estimating the Impact of BMI on Labour Market Outcomes. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2010 O'Neill, Donal, Doris, Aedin and Sweetman, Olive (2010) Identification of the Covariance Structure of Earnings using the GMM Estimator. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2010 Doris, Aedin, O'Neill, Donal and Sweetman, Olive (2010) GMMCOVEARN: A Stata Module for GMM Estimation of the Covariance Structure of Earnings. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2010 Doris, Aedin, O'Neill, Donal and Sweetman, Olive (2010) Aggregate Earnings Inequality in Europe: Permanent Differences or Transitory Fluctuations?. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2008 Doris, A., O'Neill, D. and Sweetman, O. (2008) Does Growth Affect the Nature of Inequality? Ireland 1991-2001. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2012 Olive Sweetman, Aedin Doris and Donal O'Neill (2012) Gender, Single-Sex Schooling and Maths Achievement. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2002 Sweetman, O. (2002) College attendance, tuition and family income. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    2002 O'Neill, D., Sweetman, O. and Van de gear, D. (2002) Consequences of Specification Error for Distributional Analysis with an Application to Intergenerational Mobility. [Working Paper] [Full-Text]
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Employment

    Employer Position From / To
    University of Iowa Research/Teaching Assistant 01/09/1989 - 31/05/1993
    Central Bank of Ireland Economist 01/10/1987 - 31/08/1989
    University of Newcastle Lecturer 01/10/1993 - 30/09/1995

    Education

    Start date Institution Qualification Subject
    University College Dublin MA
    University of Iowa PhD
    University College Dublin B.A.

    Other Activities

    Description
    Chairperson Economic and Social Studies Council