The book examines the evolution of economic belief and the historical events that affected the growth of the world's leading industrial countries, with particular emphasis on the United States. During times in its history, the United States was the envy of the entire world. In the nineteenth
century, Europeans recognized that the American approach to manufacturing was different. It was the Europeans who first coined the term the "American System." After World War II the United States dominated the world in the production of almost any product that could be plugged into a wall; however, in the 1980s the rest of the industrialized world began to catch up. The book analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of America relative to the European Union and Japan and the Asian
Tigers. Based on this analysis, the book develops some recommendations as to how our federal government could assist its businesses in increasing their productivity. Our international competitors often receive assistance from their governments in capital investment. American companies, to be competitive in international markets must also invest in new capital equipment and new technology. The American government could assist this process by designing programs that help its businesses to
invest, to grow, and to be more productive. If America could form a partnership between its businesses and government it could result in the United States remaining the leader of the industrialized world long into the twenty-first century. |
