The U.S. manufacturing sector has long provided economic benefits to the nation in terms of job creation, innovation, and value chains. But 21st century trends—in globalization and automation—have led some to question its capacity to continue in this role.
The IU Manufacturing Policy Initiative, in partnership with the Hudson Institute, organized a spring 2020 conference, to bring together leading thinkers to identify concerning trends and discuss policies that will enable domestic manufacturing to remain internationally competitive. The conference was postponed due to the emerging pandemic.
Four academic papers from noted experts were commissioned for this conference. Taken together, these four papers describe weaknesses in U.S. manufacturing capabilities and identify specific policies to improve U.S. competitiveness.
