Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing Author: Vaclav Smil | Language: English | ISBN:
B00EI26DUM | Format: PDF
Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing Description
"There is probably no other writer whose books I anticipate with more enthusiasm than Vaclav Smil. He brings remarkable insight to every topic he examines, combining his vast knowledge of science and energy, history and business to address some of the most pressing issues we face today. So I'm pleased he will be turning that keen intellect to the subject of manufacturing in the U.S."--Bill GatesIn Made in the USA, Vaclav Smil powerfully rebuts the notion that manufacturing is a relic of predigital history and that the loss of American manufacturing is a desirable evolutionary step toward a pure service economy. Smil argues that no advanced economy can prosper without a strong, innovative manufacturing sector and the jobs it creates. Reversing a famous information economy dictum, Smil argues that serving potato chips is not as good as making microchips. The history of manufacturing in America, Smil tells us, is a story of nation-building. He explains how manufacturing became a fundamental force behind America's economic, strategic, and social dominance. He describes American manufacturing's rapid rise at the end of the nineteenth century, its consolidation and modernization between the two world wars, its role as an enabler of mass consumption after 1945, and its recent decline. Some economists argue that shipping low-value jobs overseas matters little because the high-value work remains in the United States. But, asks Smil, do we want a society that consists of a small population of workers doing high-value-added work and masses of unemployed? Smil assesses various suggestions for solving America's manufacturing crisis, including lowering corporate tax rates, promoting research and development, and improving public education. Will America act to preserve and reinvigorate its manufacturing? It is crucial to our social and economic well-being; but, Smil warns, the odds are no better than even.
- File Size: 1850 KB
- Print Length: 278 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0262019388
- Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (August 16, 2013)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00EI26DUM
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,745 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #6
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Biography & History > Labor Policy - #6
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Industries > Manufacturing - #11
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Economics > Labor & Industrial Relations
- #6
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Biography & History > Labor Policy - #6
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Industries > Manufacturing - #11
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Economics > Labor & Industrial Relations
I was pretty sure I would appreciate this book even before I bought it, since Prof. Smil's track-record for books is impeccable. Since the future of U.S. manufacturing and its essential role for U.S. energy security is of interest to me, I decided to look at the broad picture that Prof. Smil provides here. In particular, I am interested in how a combination of solar thermal infrastructure and advanced nuclear power stations -- all U.S. built -- will improve U.S. security, prosperity, and climate stability. To understand where we need to go, and how to get there, an expertly written and comprehensive history needs to be understood.
After reading the book I grasped the high growth years and the key role of electricity generation in the late 1800s, the U.S. leadership in many fields in the 1950s and 60s (truly impressive in light of today's competition with China and Western Europe), and the gradual (and sometimes steep) decline in the 70s and 80s.
Just as in his other books, Prof. Smil has a way of presenting insights that few realize, just a few here are: the overall increase resource intensity in spite of the common idea that an information economy and computers reduce resource consumption; the narrative showing US federal government and semiconductor chip company R&D alliances (a partial model for U.S. energy infrastructure alliances in the future?). Finally, there is Prof. Smil's partly inspiring and partly foreboding last chapter of the book.
By Chad M
If you are interested in a broad historical overview of American manufacturing, this is a good place to start. Smil's book is packed with remarkable facts about the rise of various consumer and producer technologies and America's competitive place in the global economy. (I love it when he compares the U.S., China, Japan and Germany at various points throughout the book.)
At times the book it recursive, and Smil also makes a number of arguments that are not adequately supported by the evidence presented. However, Smil's book is nonetheless enormously valuable. His opinions do not seem to be driven by ideology, but by his analysis of macro-trends in the global economy.
Five stars!
By Busy Boxer
Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing Preview
Link
Please Wait...