The inauguration of the National Assembly of Wales creates a new opportunity to consider the economic agenda for Wales. This thought-provoking collection of papers carefully considers the recent past and makes a detailed analysis of the many facets of the regional economy. Individual chapters cover foreign investment, transport, small businesses, earnings, the rural dimension and outline the policy perspective. The book then looks forward and outlines the policy options for change which may provide a prosperous future for the region in an increasingly competitive world. For more information about the Welsh Economy Research Unit at Cardiff University, visit www.weru.org.uk

The book considers the determinants of the regional distribution of foreign manufacturing investment in the UK. The core theme of the book is that foreign firms coming to the UK seek in their location decision to minimise their costs of production. This minimisation of production costs is constrained by the need to ensure that they are adjacent to their key markets, whether these be in the UK or wider EC.

Additional written evidence is contained in Volume 3, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/welshcom