Stephen McNena

In my teaching, I aspire to engage students with economics and economic concepts. I show how economics can explain and help solve many challenges facing society. I lecture on the BA (Child, Youth and Family Studies) programme, as well as delivering economics modules to Arts, postgrad and online students.

I was the Programme Director of the Higher Diploma in Economic Science and the Diploma in Financial Analysis.

I am the lead of the curriculum change process in the School of Business.

I was based at St. Angela's College, Sligo, which was a college of NUI Galway, between 1998 and 2019, where I taught on the B.Ed. in Home Economics, Nursing and Access programmes. 

Since 2013 I have been involved in research on the economics of Local Government, with Dr. Gerard Turley, and internal and external collaborators. We have published articles in various journals, chapters in two books, and articles in specialised publications. We have a website to display some of our research into the economics of local government: http://www.localauthorityfinances.com

My other areas of interest include the public finances, taxation and the welfare state. I have written pieces for RTE Brainstorm and contributed to discussions in the media about topical economic issues. 

Previous projects include a socio-economic analysis of regions of Ireland (2012) and anevaluation of Ballinasloe marina on behalf of Ballinasloe Town Council and Galway County Council (2013).

I currently deliver these modules:

• EC136 Principles of Macroeconomics
• EC268 Intermediate Macroeconomics
• EC1110 Introduction to Economic Policy
• EC267 Economics of Social Policy
• EC272 Economics of Family Policy
• SP1103 Introduction to Child, Youth and Family studies

In 2025, I am supervising five students doing minor dissertations on the following programmes:

• EC5138 International Finance project
• EC5150 Fintech project

Previously, I taught various modules:

• Introductory Microeconomics (at St. Angela's College, Sligo)
• Intermediate Microeconomics (at St. Angela's College, Sligo)
• EC255 Comparative Economic Theories
• EC260 Understanding Community and Environment
• EC275 Statistics for Economics
• EC415 Research Paper I
• EC416 Research Paper II
• EC426.3 Ireland in the Global Economy
• EC7102 Macroeconomics and the Business Environment (part-time students, online module)
• SP1117 Introduction to Research in Public and Social Policy

Between 2006 and 2024, I supervised 33 students doing minor dissertations on Masters programmes in Economics.