Manufacturing Matters: The Myth of the Post-Industrial Economy

Manufacturing matters – and today more so than ever before. Indeed, the widely held belief that we live in a “post-industrial” economy in which manufacturing has been displaced and somehow rendered obsolete by a white-collar and service economy is a dangerous myth that is seriously undermining our ability to compete successfully in world markets. For, as the authors of this brilliantly argued and extensively documented book point out, in today’s sophisticated technological environments, high-tech services are inextricably linked to mastery and control of manufacturing. Lose manufacturing, and you will lose your competitive edge high-tech capabilities, as well as much else. It is the central theme of “Manufacturing Matters” that, unless there is a fundamental change in both corporate and public policies, that is precisely what is going to happen. The appearance on a mass scale of new micro-electronic based technologies has put the position of every nation in the international hierarchy of wealth and power, including the United States, up for grabs. To date, Cohen and Zysman report, this country has not adjusted well to these changes. Only by recognizing the crucial role of manufacturing and manufacturing skills, they insist, can we restore our competitive preeminence.