Bank Inquiry Week 6

Elaine Byrne The focus on ESRI publications as a predictor of whether or not Ireland’s economic collapse could have been avoided is greatly exaggerated

Elaine Byrne
Elaine Byrne

Professor John FitzGerald had the opportunity to read just half of his 14-page opening statement to the banking inquiry last Wednesday. The remaining seven pages consisted of an appendix with abstracts from publications by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) between 2001 and 2008, the period leading up to the banking crisis.

The first ten publications listed warnings about the dangers inherent in the building sector boom and the implications for fiscal ...