Michael Casey retired early from his position as Chief Economist at the Central Bank in order to focus on his writing. He was educated in New Ross, Dublin and the University of Cambridge where he received his Ph.D. in economics. He has worked in the Department of Finance, the Central Bank (with T.K. Whitaker), the University of Cambridge and spent over three years on the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC where he had the opportunity to study and discuss almost every economy in the world. He has won a number of national and international awards and contributes regularly to The Irish Times and the Sunday Times.