It is evident, therefore, that a certain amount of structural change is a desirable feature in an economy. Ireland has undergone very high levels of structural change and the results have generally been beneficial.
If we had simply tried to maintain the production structure of the past, with its greater concentration on lower-value added traditional activities, it is implausible to suggest that the economy could have performed in the manner that it has. In fact, Ireland tried to pursue this approach up until the late 1950s with unsatisfactory results.