US Manufacturing: The Misunderstood Economic Powerhouse

摘要

With 6 million jobs lost in the last decade, U.S. manufacturing bore the brunt of globalization and recession, not to mention a widespread belief that its day had simply passed. But panelists at a Brookings Institution conference said there are good reasons to expect a resurgence of U.S. manufacturing if it is supported by smart public policies and public-private programs. "We still think about manufac- turing in the U.S. as yesterday's economy as opposed to the vanguard of innovation in our economy," said Bruce Katz, a vice president at the Brookings Institution. But he points out, manufacturing accounts for "9% of jobs, 11% of GDP, 35% of engineers, 68% of private R&D, and 90% of our patents. We may be the only economy to decouple production and innovation."