I started researching the dramatic changes in the automobile industry of
Central and East European countries in the late 1990s. My interest grew
out of my previous work on the post-socialist transformation, foreign -
rect investment and regional economic development. While researching the
economic and regional development effects of foreign direct inve- ment,
I was increasingly drawn to the automobile industry because of the speed
and depth of its transformation through foreign direct investment and
its potentially very significant economic and regional development -
fects. In addition to working on the Central and East European
automobile industry as a whole, I became interested in detailed case
studies of ent- prise restructuring as I wanted to understand its
complex nature and the role of different actors in the restructuring of
the automobile industry. In order to achieve this goal, I visited dozens
of automotive enterprises, es- cially in the Czech Republic (Czechia) to
conduct in-depths interviews with key informants. I have also
interviewed key informants at ministries, automotive associations and
academia and collected various secondary data and information. This book
is the outcome of this work. In this endeavor I have benefited from
various support. The University Committee on Research and Creative
Activity at the University of Nebraska at Omaha funded three field work
sessions in Czechia to conduct interviews and research for this book.
