WDC_TRENDS:

"A review of international trends in industry sectors for the Western Development Commission, Ireland"

In 2003, CISC undertook this research project on behalf of the Western Development Commission, in order to inform its strategic deliberations.

Scope of the project
The research reviews recent publicly available literature on two issues: (i) recent trends in foreign direct investments (FDI) and the locational policies of multinational corporations (MNCs) and (ii) the dynamics and international trends in the main industry sectors in the region, above all in developments arising from changes in markets, manufacturing practices and the introduction of new technologies.

Project Leader:

Participants:

Focus
The research deals with two main issues. First, it reports on recent trends in foreign direct investments (FDI) and the locational policies of multinational corporations (MNCs). Second, the research centres on the dynamics and international trends in the main industry sectors in the region, above all in developments arising from changes in markets, manufacturing practices and the introduction of new technologies. The specific industries reviewed are Food, ICT and healthcare which includes pharmaceutical and medical technologies.

About the Western Development Commission (WDC)
The Western Development Commission is a statutory body promoting economic and social development in counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway and Clare.
It engages in three principal activities:


Ensuring that economic and social policy effectively meets the development needs of the Western Region
Fostering and promoting regional development initiatives
Managing the Western Investment Fund, which provides risk capital by way of equity and loans on a commercial basis to projects and businesses

A companion study undertaken by CISC for the WDC examined the Medical Technology and Devices Sector in detail (see link below).