T.K. Whitaker: Financial Policies for the State

Abstract

This paper reviews the financial sector policy career of T.K. Whitaker in the third quarter of the twentieth century. In developing the functioning of Ireland’s finances and the official oversight and control of this sector, he was not over-awed by the banking establishment. In international financial diplomacy, far from being cowed by any post colonial sense of inferiority, his aim was to enhance the autonomy and reputation of Ireland. In navigating the delicate balance between serving and influencing government, he exhibited a determination to ensure that long-term goals for the State received priority over myopic or short-termist preferences of politicians.