Multinational enterprises, repeat investment and the role of aftercare services in Wales and Ireland

Repeat investment by multinational enterprises (MNEs) at 'foreign owned establishments' has become an important form of investment in recent years and, as such, can be considered a significant aspect of the nexus between corporate processes and host territorial economies. In terms of the latter, socio-institutional factors, operating within regional contexts, have increasingly been cited as underpinning prosperous 'economic spaces'. The paper examines the role of regional aftercare assistance (in the case of Wales), defined as services provided directly to MNEs (such as local sourcing initiatives) in comparison with central government aftercare services (in the case of Ireland) and general supply-side conditions. By examining MNEs in the 'electronics-related' sector in Wales and Ireland, it is found that while regional aftercare has a relative level of significance compared with national aftercare and certain supply-side conditions, particular labour market factors are of far greater importance. Further case study analysis examines the corporate processes determining the importance of aftercare services in Wales and Ireland, with the findings indicating that a heterogeneous range of corporate processes and sector dynamics influence the significance of this form of support.