As an undergraduate student, I was privileged to be in the audience for the Dornbusch lecture and was immensely impressed by his erudition, clarity of expression and expertise: he was a role model for anyone interested in applied macroeconomics. I will return to the topic of the Dornbusch lecture – European monetary integration – later in this lecture.
The Dunning lecture remains highly relevant today, in terms of emphasising the role of the State in economic development in a globalised system. Finally, the Geary Lecture is also an occasion to reflect on the central role played by the ESRI in the analysis and formulation of economic and social policies in Ireland.