Takahiro Fujimoto and Frank Baldwin
- Published in print:
- 1953
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479889389
- eISBN:
- 9781479830893
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479889389.003.0009
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
Corporate management, convinced that factories in Japan cannot compete against China’s low wages and lax environmental regulations, have shifted manufacturing operations overseas. This chapter argues ...
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Corporate management, convinced that factories in Japan cannot compete against China’s low wages and lax environmental regulations, have shifted manufacturing operations overseas. This chapter argues that industrial flight is a shortsighted strategy that harms innovation and undermines employment and middle-class values in Japan. Government policies, from taxes to climate change, should support the retention of excellent manufacturing sites in Japan.Less
Corporate management, convinced that factories in Japan cannot compete against China’s low wages and lax environmental regulations, have shifted manufacturing operations overseas. This chapter argues that industrial flight is a shortsighted strategy that harms innovation and undermines employment and middle-class values in Japan. Government policies, from taxes to climate change, should support the retention of excellent manufacturing sites in Japan.
Willian B. Bonvillian and Peter L. Singer
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262037037
- eISBN:
- 9780262343398
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037037.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
The United States lost almost one-third of its manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2010. As higher-paying manufacturing jobs are replaced by lower-paying service jobs, income inequality has been ...
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The United States lost almost one-third of its manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2010. As higher-paying manufacturing jobs are replaced by lower-paying service jobs, income inequality has been approaching third world levels. In particular, between 1990 and 2013, the median income of men without high school diplomas fell by an astonishing 20 percent, and that of men with high school diplomas fell by a painful 13 percent. Innovation has been left largely to software and IT startups, and increasingly U.S. firms operate on a system of “innovate here/produce there,” leaving the manufacturing sector behind. This book explores how to rethink innovation and revitalize America's declining manufacturing sector. It argues that advanced manufacturing, which employs such innovative technologies as 3-D printing, advanced material, photonics, and robotics in the production process, is the key. The book discusses transformative new production paradigms that could drive up efficiency and drive down costs. It describes the new processes and business models that must accompany them, and explores alternative funding methods for startups that must manufacture. The book examines the varied attitudes of mainstream economics toward manufacturing, the post-Great Recession policy focus on advanced manufacturing, and lessons from the new advanced manufacturing institutes. Finally, it considers the problem of “startup scale-up,” possible new models for training workers, and the role of manufacturing in addressing “secular stagnation” in innovation, growth, the middle classes, productivity rates, and related investment.Less
The United States lost almost one-third of its manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2010. As higher-paying manufacturing jobs are replaced by lower-paying service jobs, income inequality has been approaching third world levels. In particular, between 1990 and 2013, the median income of men without high school diplomas fell by an astonishing 20 percent, and that of men with high school diplomas fell by a painful 13 percent. Innovation has been left largely to software and IT startups, and increasingly U.S. firms operate on a system of “innovate here/produce there,” leaving the manufacturing sector behind. This book explores how to rethink innovation and revitalize America's declining manufacturing sector. It argues that advanced manufacturing, which employs such innovative technologies as 3-D printing, advanced material, photonics, and robotics in the production process, is the key. The book discusses transformative new production paradigms that could drive up efficiency and drive down costs. It describes the new processes and business models that must accompany them, and explores alternative funding methods for startups that must manufacture. The book examines the varied attitudes of mainstream economics toward manufacturing, the post-Great Recession policy focus on advanced manufacturing, and lessons from the new advanced manufacturing institutes. Finally, it considers the problem of “startup scale-up,” possible new models for training workers, and the role of manufacturing in addressing “secular stagnation” in innovation, growth, the middle classes, productivity rates, and related investment.
Jennifer A. Delton
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691167862
- eISBN:
- 9780691203324
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691167862.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Founded in 1895, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) helped make manufacturing the basis of the US economy and a major source of jobs in the twentieth century. This book traces the ...
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Founded in 1895, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) helped make manufacturing the basis of the US economy and a major source of jobs in the twentieth century. This book traces the history of the advocacy group from its origins to today, examining its role in shaping modern capitalism, while also highlighting the many tensions and contradictions within the organization that sometimes hampered its mission. The book argues that NAM—an organization best known for fighting unions, promoting “free enterprise,” and defending corporate interests—was also surprisingly progressive. The book shows how it encouraged companies to adopt innovations such as safety standards, workers' compensation, and affirmative action, and worked with the US government and international organizations to promote the free exchange of goods and services across national borders. While NAM's modernizing and globalizing activities helped to make US industry the most profitable and productive in the world by midcentury, they also eventually led to deindustrialization, plant closings, and the decline of manufacturing jobs. The book is the story of a powerful organization that fought US manufacturing's political battles, created its economic infrastructure, and expanded its global markets—only to contribute to the widespread collapse of US manufacturing by the close of the twentieth century.Less
Founded in 1895, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) helped make manufacturing the basis of the US economy and a major source of jobs in the twentieth century. This book traces the history of the advocacy group from its origins to today, examining its role in shaping modern capitalism, while also highlighting the many tensions and contradictions within the organization that sometimes hampered its mission. The book argues that NAM—an organization best known for fighting unions, promoting “free enterprise,” and defending corporate interests—was also surprisingly progressive. The book shows how it encouraged companies to adopt innovations such as safety standards, workers' compensation, and affirmative action, and worked with the US government and international organizations to promote the free exchange of goods and services across national borders. While NAM's modernizing and globalizing activities helped to make US industry the most profitable and productive in the world by midcentury, they also eventually led to deindustrialization, plant closings, and the decline of manufacturing jobs. The book is the story of a powerful organization that fought US manufacturing's political battles, created its economic infrastructure, and expanded its global markets—only to contribute to the widespread collapse of US manufacturing by the close of the twentieth century.
Jennifer A. Delton
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691167862
- eISBN:
- 9780691203324
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691167862.003.0014
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This concluding chapter discusses the National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) relevance in contemporary times. It shows that NAM is still a going concern. It has survived and adapted to new ...
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This concluding chapter discusses the National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) relevance in contemporary times. It shows that NAM is still a going concern. It has survived and adapted to new circumstances, and it has a purported membership of 14,000. It also keeps a lower profile. NAM is no longer the go-to “voice of business,” but it still partners up with the US Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable. In other ways, however, the current NAM resembles its old historic self, despite the drastically different economic and political climate of the twenty-first century. It continues to promote development, offering seminars, data, and other resources to help new manufacturers navigate the new economy. But NAM also has to contend with new challenges in the twenty-first century, as it walks a fine line with regard to President Donald Trump.Less
This concluding chapter discusses the National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) relevance in contemporary times. It shows that NAM is still a going concern. It has survived and adapted to new circumstances, and it has a purported membership of 14,000. It also keeps a lower profile. NAM is no longer the go-to “voice of business,” but it still partners up with the US Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable. In other ways, however, the current NAM resembles its old historic self, despite the drastically different economic and political climate of the twenty-first century. It continues to promote development, offering seminars, data, and other resources to help new manufacturers navigate the new economy. But NAM also has to contend with new challenges in the twenty-first century, as it walks a fine line with regard to President Donald Trump.