Read before the Society, 10 November 1967 For a country like Ireland, it seems reasonable to surmise that its economy has some features in common with industralising countries in other continents rather than with the industrially most advanced European countries. It therefore seems pertinent to ask where the country stands in relation to others as regards the level of economic development. There are obvious difficulties in attempting to measure something that is really very complex by a single indicator; nevertheless this must be attempted.