Focusing on the period since Irish independence, this documentary history provides a record of the policies the Irish government has followed to encourage economic growth, thereby providing access to the official record for readers in this country. Particular attention has been given to the planning period which began in 1958. An introductory chapter provides an overview of British economic policy during the period of British control from 1800 to 1922. The four documentary chapters provide coverage of the periods from independence to the Emergency , 1922-1945, from the Emergency to economic planning, or 1946-1959, from the advent of planning to entry to the Single European Act, 1973-1990.