Patrick Lynch (Irish economist)
Encyclopedia
Patrick Lynch MRIA
(5 May 1917 – 16 November 2001) was an Irish
economist
. He believed in economic development
and the co-ordination of government policy, including fiscal, social and monetary measures to invest in education and joining the European Economic Community
. He favoured empirical education economics
in Ireland
and development economics
flowing from investment in science.
He was " ... one of the most respected and influential social and economic thinkers during the critical period of the Sixties, when Ireland's economic foundations were laid."
A Professor of Political Economy at University College Dublin
until 1980, he was a civil servant for over a decade, served as chairman of Aer Lingus
and Aer Rianta and was deputy chairman of AIB Group.
He was educated at Catholic University School
, a feeder school for University College, Dublin (UCD). He entered UCD in 1935 to study humanities
, at which he excelled. During this time, he was inclined to accept the ideas of Alfred Marshall
and John Maynard Keynes
.
John A. Costello
, he was appointed Assistant Secretary to the inter-party government in 1950 and he continued in this post when Fianna Fáil
attained sole power in 1951. He and Alexis Fitzgerald
(Costello's son-in-law) had persuaded Costello to adopt a Keynesian approach to the country's economic policy in 1948, the first major change to Irish economic policy for "a generation", as Murphy phrased it, and one which was achieved despite opposition from both the Department of Finance and the Central Bank.
Lynch's viewpoint on the relationship between the state, the people and the economy is evidenced in a speech he wrote for Costello in 1949:
He contributed to the premises which underlay the Whitaker
plan for economic development, a plan that helped to create the economic growth that started in the 1960s. He developed the Whitaker-Lynch rule that encouraged borrowing in fiscal planning, whereby government budget deficits were incurred to fund capital investment projects.
, the man credited with introducing the theories of Keynes to Ireland. He was elected a Fellow Commoner of Peterhouse, Cambridge
for 1955-56, where he formed a friendship with John Vaizey, and then returned to UCD. Some sources reference other years in the early 1950s for his time at Peterhouse; the years used here are those from the records of the college.
Between 1966 and 1975 he was Associate Professor of Political Economy (Applied Economics). He then held the post of Professor of Economics until 1980, at which time he retired and was appointed Professor Emeritus, a title he held until his death in 2001. He was a member of the Governing Body of UCD from 1964 to 1976 and of the Seanad Éireann
as a representative of the National University of Ireland
from 1972 to 1977.
In the 1970s he set up the Science Policy Research Unit at UCD, in conjunction with colleagues from the Science Faculty.
He received honorary doctorates from Brunel University
(1976), from the University of Dublin
(Trinity College, Dublin
) (1979), from the National University of Ireland
(1985), the University of Limerick
(1994), and from the National Council of Education Awards in 2000.
Between 1959 and 1966, when it merged with two other banks to become AIB, Lynch was a director of the Provincial Bank of Ireland. He was made a director of the AIB Group bank in 1971 and served as deputy chairman from 1975 to 1984, as the bank begun to expand overseas into the UK, US and Europe. As a senior director of the bank he was called to give evidence in the Moriarty Tribunal
, an investigation into corruption involving Charles Haughey
and which in part looked into why the bank had written-off a £1 million overdraft liability in Haughey's name.
of Cork
, in a 1946 article for The Bell
. Thompson had proposed a labour theory of value before Karl Marx
. In turn, Lynch's critiques of Irish capitalism appealed to the Tuairim group in the 1950s and were published by them.
Lynch believed in a positive role for the State in the promotion of economic and social development; that is, he favoured intervention and influence by the state in order to achieve those goals rather than adopting a laissez-faire approach. He was a member of the Capital Investment Advisory Committee during the 1950s, the body that established the use of the tax system as the principal mechanism for developing the Irish economy.
He acted as economic consultant to the Department of Finance and directed and acted as chairman of two major surveys sponsored by the Irish government and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) between 1962 - 1966.
His co-author in the latter report was H. M. S. Miller, an English engineer who at the time headed the Research & Development department of Bord na Mona
, the peat
development board. The pair privately admitted at that time to being influenced by the Marxist-based ideas of J D Bernal whose 1939 book The Social Function of Science was influential in science policy analysis. They did not think it wise to publicly announce this at the time, although it was as a consequence of this, and the OECD report itself, that Lynch set up the Science Policy Research Unit at UCD, referred to above. Johnston has called the report "somewhat scathing" of the then Irish policy but also believes that, although the outcome was the establishment of the National Science Council in 1969, that body was fundamentally flawed as a consequence of its membership being state appointees. Lynch spent nearly ten years working on that Council.
He was a long-serving chairman and member of many other Irish Government commissions and committees: the National Industrial and Economic Council (later, the National Economic and Social Council), the Public Service Advisory Council,; the Medico-Social Research Board, the Economic and Social Research Institute
, the Institute of Public Administration and the Higher Education Authority
among them. He was also Patron of the British-Irish Association and many of the early European Union
advisory groups such as the Executive Council of the European Science Foundation
.
In 1973 he became the first member from Ireland of the Club of Rome
, whose 100 members were drawn from among scientists, humanists, economists, sociologists, educators and civil servants of Europe. At this time the Club was warning governments about the limits of non-renewable natural resources and the need therefore either to contain population growth or devise alternative resources, most notably in the book The Limits to Growth.
He became founder chairman of the National Library Society of Ireland in 1969, and between 1973 and 1976 he was chairman of the Institute of Public Administration (Ireland).
Lynch was a member of the Royal Irish Academy
, of which he was vice-president in 1971-72 and treasurer between 1972 and 1980.
and the Movement for Peace in Ireland.
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
(5 May 1917 – 16 November 2001) was an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
. He believed in economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
and the co-ordination of government policy, including fiscal, social and monetary measures to invest in education and joining the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
. He favoured empirical education economics
Education economics
Education economics or the economics of education is the study of economic issues relating to education, including the demand for education and the financing and provision of education...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and development economics
Development economics
Development Economics is a branch of economics which deals with economic aspects of the development process in low-income countries. Its focus is not only on methods of promoting economic growth and structural change but also on improving the potential for the mass of the population, for example,...
flowing from investment in science.
He was " ... one of the most respected and influential social and economic thinkers during the critical period of the Sixties, when Ireland's economic foundations were laid."
A Professor of Political Economy at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
until 1980, he was a civil servant for over a decade, served as chairman of Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
and Aer Rianta and was deputy chairman of AIB Group.
Early life
Born in Dublin in 1917, Patrick Lynch was the first-born child of Daniel and Brigid Lynch.He was educated at Catholic University School
Catholic University School
Catholic University School is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys located on the southside of central Dublin, Ireland. It is run by the Marist Fathers.-Origins:...
, a feeder school for University College, Dublin (UCD). He entered UCD in 1935 to study humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, at which he excelled. During this time, he was inclined to accept the ideas of Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall was an Englishman and one of the most influential economists of his time. His book, Principles of Economics , was the dominant economic textbook in England for many years...
and John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton, CB FBA , was a British economist whose ideas have profoundly affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics, as well as the economic policies of governments...
.
Civil Service, 1941 - 1952
He joined the civil service in 1941, starting in the Department of Finance and staying there until 1948. After two years seconded as private secretary to TaoiseachTaoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
John A. Costello
John A. Costello
John Aloysius Costello , a successful barrister, was one of the main legal advisors to the government of the Irish Free State after independence, Attorney General of Ireland from 1926–1932 and Taoiseach from 1948–1951 and 1954–1957....
, he was appointed Assistant Secretary to the inter-party government in 1950 and he continued in this post when Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
attained sole power in 1951. He and Alexis Fitzgerald
Alexis FitzGerald
Alexis FitzGerald may refer to:*Alexis FitzGerald, Snr , Irish solicitor and Fine Gael Senator*His nephew Alexis FitzGerald, Jnr , former Irish Fine Gael politician, TD and Senator...
(Costello's son-in-law) had persuaded Costello to adopt a Keynesian approach to the country's economic policy in 1948, the first major change to Irish economic policy for "a generation", as Murphy phrased it, and one which was achieved despite opposition from both the Department of Finance and the Central Bank.
Lynch's viewpoint on the relationship between the state, the people and the economy is evidenced in a speech he wrote for Costello in 1949:
He contributed to the premises which underlay the Whitaker
T. K. Whitaker
T.K. "Ken" Whitaker is an Irish economist and former public servant, credited with a pivotal role in the economic development of Ireland...
plan for economic development, a plan that helped to create the economic growth that started in the 1960s. He developed the Whitaker-Lynch rule that encouraged borrowing in fiscal planning, whereby government budget deficits were incurred to fund capital investment projects.
Academic career, 1952 - 1980
He left the civil service in 1952, returning to UCD as a lecturer in economics. This was at least in part due to the persuasions of Professor George O'BrienGeorge O'Brien (economist)
George O'Brien was an Irish economist serving from 1921 to 1961 as a Professor of first National Economics and later Political Economy at University College, Dublin.- Publications :...
, the man credited with introducing the theories of Keynes to Ireland. He was elected a Fellow Commoner of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
for 1955-56, where he formed a friendship with John Vaizey, and then returned to UCD. Some sources reference other years in the early 1950s for his time at Peterhouse; the years used here are those from the records of the college.
Between 1966 and 1975 he was Associate Professor of Political Economy (Applied Economics). He then held the post of Professor of Economics until 1980, at which time he retired and was appointed Professor Emeritus, a title he held until his death in 2001. He was a member of the Governing Body of UCD from 1964 to 1976 and of the Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
as a representative of the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
from 1972 to 1977.
In the 1970s he set up the Science Policy Research Unit at UCD, in conjunction with colleagues from the Science Faculty.
He received honorary doctorates from Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
(1976), from the University of Dublin
University of Dublin
The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...
(Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
) (1979), from the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
(1985), the University of Limerick
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...
(1994), and from the National Council of Education Awards in 2000.
Involvements in business from 1954
Lynch's interest in aviation focused on his support of the state airline Aer Lingus. In 1954, he was appointed chairman of that business and of Aer Rianta, the "ground side" operation which looked after airport facilities. During his 21 year tenure the companies went from reporting financial losses to being profitable enterprises. He retired from the positions in 1975.Between 1959 and 1966, when it merged with two other banks to become AIB, Lynch was a director of the Provincial Bank of Ireland. He was made a director of the AIB Group bank in 1971 and served as deputy chairman from 1975 to 1984, as the bank begun to expand overseas into the UK, US and Europe. As a senior director of the bank he was called to give evidence in the Moriarty Tribunal
Moriarty Tribunal
The Tribunal of Inquiry into certain Payments to Politicians and Related Matters was an Irish Public inquiry established in 1997 into the financial affairs of politicians Charles Haughey and Michael Lowry. It has revealed significant tax evasion by these and other politicians and leading...
, an investigation into corruption involving Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
and which in part looked into why the bank had written-off a £1 million overdraft liability in Haughey's name.
Public service
Lynch had written favourably of an early Irish socialist, William ThompsonWilliam Thompson (philosopher)
William Thompson was an Irish political and philosophical writer and social reformer, developing from utilitarianism into an early critic of capitalist exploitation whose ideas influenced the Cooperative, Trade Union and Chartist movements as well as Karl Marx...
of Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, in a 1946 article for The Bell
The Bell (magazine)
The Bell Magazine Dublin, Ireland. A monthly magazine of literature and social comment which had a seminal influence on a generation of Irish intellectuals.- History :...
. Thompson had proposed a labour theory of value before Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
. In turn, Lynch's critiques of Irish capitalism appealed to the Tuairim group in the 1950s and were published by them.
Lynch believed in a positive role for the State in the promotion of economic and social development; that is, he favoured intervention and influence by the state in order to achieve those goals rather than adopting a laissez-faire approach. He was a member of the Capital Investment Advisory Committee during the 1950s, the body that established the use of the tax system as the principal mechanism for developing the Irish economy.
He acted as economic consultant to the Department of Finance and directed and acted as chairman of two major surveys sponsored by the Irish government and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) between 1962 - 1966.
- The first of these was a survey on long term Irish educational needs which resulted in publication of Investment in Education. He later insisted that this report concentrated on identifying the inefficiencies in the prevalent system rather than on policy and that it made only one policy recommendation, but its influence has been frequently claimed to have mould the future direction of education in Ireland for many years subsequently. Specifically, it brought about a change in policies such that education became more closely aligned with the requirements of the labour market.
- The second survey looked at the requirements of the Irish economy in respect of scientific research, development and technology; this resulted in the publication of Science and Irish Economic Development. A part of this report focussed on the issues of energy economics: Ireland relied on imports of oil and gas but had plentiful reserves of turf.
His co-author in the latter report was H. M. S. Miller, an English engineer who at the time headed the Research & Development department of Bord na Mona
Bord na Móna
Bord na Móna , abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland...
, the peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
development board. The pair privately admitted at that time to being influenced by the Marxist-based ideas of J D Bernal whose 1939 book The Social Function of Science was influential in science policy analysis. They did not think it wise to publicly announce this at the time, although it was as a consequence of this, and the OECD report itself, that Lynch set up the Science Policy Research Unit at UCD, referred to above. Johnston has called the report "somewhat scathing" of the then Irish policy but also believes that, although the outcome was the establishment of the National Science Council in 1969, that body was fundamentally flawed as a consequence of its membership being state appointees. Lynch spent nearly ten years working on that Council.
He was a long-serving chairman and member of many other Irish Government commissions and committees: the National Industrial and Economic Council (later, the National Economic and Social Council), the Public Service Advisory Council,; the Medico-Social Research Board, the Economic and Social Research Institute
Economic and Social Research Institute
The Economic and Social Research Institute is a think tank in Dublin, Ireland. Its research focuses on Ireland's economic and social development in order to inform policy-making and societal understanding....
, the Institute of Public Administration and the Higher Education Authority
Higher Education Authority
The Higher Education Authority is the authority in Ireland with responsibility for higher education since 1968 and placed on a statutory basis in 1971. The authority supports HEAnet, part of the GEANT network....
among them. He was also Patron of the British-Irish Association and many of the early European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
advisory groups such as the Executive Council of the European Science Foundation
European Science Foundation
The European Science Foundation is an association of 78 member organisations devoted to scientific research in 30 European countries. It is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that facilitates cooperation and collaboration in European research and development, European...
.
In 1973 he became the first member from Ireland of the Club of Rome
Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of international political issues. Founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy, the CoR describes itself as "a group of world citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity." It consists of current and...
, whose 100 members were drawn from among scientists, humanists, economists, sociologists, educators and civil servants of Europe. At this time the Club was warning governments about the limits of non-renewable natural resources and the need therefore either to contain population growth or devise alternative resources, most notably in the book The Limits to Growth.
He became founder chairman of the National Library Society of Ireland in 1969, and between 1973 and 1976 he was chairman of the Institute of Public Administration (Ireland).
Lynch was a member of the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
, of which he was vice-president in 1971-72 and treasurer between 1972 and 1980.
Civil rights
Lynch was chairman of the Irish anti-apartheid movement in the early 1970s, while chairman of Aer Lingus. During the same period he contributed to the Irish Council for Civil LibertiesIrish Council for Civil Liberties
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is an Irish non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the civil liberties and human rights of people in Ireland.-History:...
and the Movement for Peace in Ireland.