Defense Spending and the Trade Performance of U.S. Industries.

摘要

There has been a longstanding debate about the effect of defense spending on economic performance, with arguments and evidence provided for both positive and negative effects. Examples of positive effects include the technological spinoffs of defense research and development and training of manpower in less-developed countries. On the other hand, critics point to the diversion of scientific and technical personnel or investment capital as examples of the negative effects of defense spending. It is not surprising that this debate has been renewed as a result of the sharp increase in U.S. defense spending of the late 1970s and early 1980s.