ABSTRACT
The remarkable turnaround in the performance of the Irish economy over the past decade or so did not happen simply by accident or because of good luck. Certainly, fortune, as always, had a part in both the timing of events and in some of the decisions made. But decisions were made and riskscalculated risks-were taken. No amount of good fortune could have achieved what has been achieved without the willingness and the capacity to make decisions and to act. The foundations of the Irish economic success story lie in the way in which successive governments and the state agencies developed the capacity to analyse problems and formulate responses, and the way in which they responded to new challenges as they were identified. This chapter shows how this has been done in Ireland and the central role that has been played by key actors and individuals at crucial points in providing the vision and direction that is required to achieve a co-ordinated response.
