Peter A. Coclanis: In Manufacturing, We're Still Making It
[Peter A. Coclanis is Albert R. Newsome distinguished professor of history and director of the Global research Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill.]
Even in our rancorous political times, virtually every politician and pundit in America would agree on one thing: The U.S. economy is not doing well these days.
To be sure, the prescriptions offered for our ailing economy vary wildly, but the chances for a successful therapeutic response would improve for all if would-be economic doctors got their diagnoses right.
Our manufacturing sector offers a case in point. If one listened mainly to the partisan drum-banging in Washington and the crude oversimplifications offered by media celebs and talk-show hosts on both the left and right...one would think that the United States is no longer a major manufacturing power....
Hold on a bit. While it is true that the relative role of manufacturing in the U.S. economy has declined significantly over the past 30 or 40 years and that the proportion of the labor force involved in manufacturing has fallen sharply as well, the U.S. is still the leading manufacturing nation in the world by virtually every standard.
Read entire article at The News-Observer (NC)
Even in our rancorous political times, virtually every politician and pundit in America would agree on one thing: The U.S. economy is not doing well these days.
To be sure, the prescriptions offered for our ailing economy vary wildly, but the chances for a successful therapeutic response would improve for all if would-be economic doctors got their diagnoses right.
Our manufacturing sector offers a case in point. If one listened mainly to the partisan drum-banging in Washington and the crude oversimplifications offered by media celebs and talk-show hosts on both the left and right...one would think that the United States is no longer a major manufacturing power....
Hold on a bit. While it is true that the relative role of manufacturing in the U.S. economy has declined significantly over the past 30 or 40 years and that the proportion of the labor force involved in manufacturing has fallen sharply as well, the U.S. is still the leading manufacturing nation in the world by virtually every standard.