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The Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) research has been ongoing for many years, originally undertaken by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ), which was established in 1996 to work for social and economic change aimed at tackling poverty and exclusion.
The research has grown and developed throughout the years, with multiple projects building the depth and breadth of the research. The development of the MESL data is illustrated in the timeline.
Minimum Essential Standard of Living research has been developing for over 20 years in Ireland
Set up to work for social and economic change, aimed at tackling poverty and exclusion.
The initial research project undertaken by the VPSJ looked at the daily struggle faced by people living on an inadequate income. This report’s findings inspired the use of the Budget Standards approach by the VPSJ, which marked the beginning of the MESL research.
The VPSJ’s first research using the Budget Standards approach to establish the cost of a low cost but acceptable standard of living for three household types.
Expanding from the last report, this report established the cornerstone of the MESL dataset, determining the minimum needs of six urban household types which together represent 31% of households in Ireland.
This research project looked at the minimum needs of the same six households types, but living in a rural area. This extended the dataset to cover 46% of households in Ireland.
This research individualised the data and identified the minimum needs for additional child age-groups. This brought flexibility to the dataset, the cost of a MESL could now be examined across the entire lifecycle; from infants to pensioners.
Establishing the individualised minimum needs of children in four key age-groups, and the additional needs of households with up to four children. This enabled extended the MESL to a broader range of family household compositions, brining the coverage of the dataset to 75% of households in Ireland.
Research to determine the minimum needs of a couple of working-age with no dependent children, was undertaken and published in 2014. Bringing coverage of the dataset to 90% of households in Ireland.
The first in a series of reports to examine MESL food costs in depth, for both Ireland and Northern Ireland. This series is published in collaboration with SafeFood.
This project applies the MESL approach to examine the additional and different needs of a person with a vision impairment (commissioned by NCBI).
This project explores the lived experiences of families struggling to make ends meet, highlighting the impact of inadequate income, drawing on the broader context of the MESL research (commissioned by SVP).
The contents of the MESL household budgets are reviewed every six years. Reviewing the 2012 MESL data, the content of the MESL baskets in most budget areas did not change greatly over.
Developments in Government Policy and advances in technology impacted the content of areas such as Health, Transport and Social Inclusion.
This report presents the MESL cost for a household caring for a child with a profound intellectual disability, and is a further example of the research being used in collaboration with another organisation to determine the MESL cost for a specific group in society.
With the closure of the VPSJ the MESL research was transferred to the new Vincentian MESL Research Centre at Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) in July 2022. Ensuring that the MESL research continues to be an independent source on what is required for a life with dignity.
Early publications show how the initial foundations of the research began, and how each project progressed and developed the research further, into the robust evidence base that it provides today.
Minimum Essential Budgets for Six Household Types established the cornerstone of the MESL dataset determining the minimum needs of six household types, in urban areas, which together represent 31% of households in Ireland. The subsequent Rural research project extended the dataset to cover 46% of households in Ireland.
Further research expanded the dataset by individualising the data and establishing the minimum needs for additional child age-groups. Individualising brought flexibility to the dataset, enabling the examination of a broader range of family household compositions, beyond those established in the initial two projects.
Expanding the MESL to include households with up to four children, in conjunction with the individualising and additional child age-groups, extended the coverage of the dataset to 75% of households in Ireland.
Research to establish the minimum needs of a further household type, a couple of working age with no dependent children, was undertaken and published in 2014. This brought coverage of the dataset to 90% of households in Ireland.
The MESL data is focused on single family-unit households, households comprised of either a single adult or a couple, and any dependent children. The remaining 10% of households not covered by the current MESL dataset, are households with additional adults e.g. a family household with children, parents and grand-parent, and households with more than four children.
The publication of The Cost of a Healthy Food Basket, A MESL for a Single Adult with Vision Impairment, and Stories of Struggle, Experience of living below the Minimum Essential Standard of Living began the adaptation and use of the MESL research in collaboration with other organisations for specific topics of concern, such as examining the MESL costs for particular budget areas and specific groups in society.