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Competing in Advanced Manufacturing: The Need for Improved Growth Models and Policies

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  • Gregory Tassey

Abstract

The United States has underinvested for several decades in a set of productivity-enhancing assets necessary for the long-term health of its manufacturing sector. Conventional characterizations of the process of bringing new advanced manufacturing products to market usually leave out two important elements: One is "proof-of-concept research" to establish broad "technology platforms" that can then be used as a basis for developing actual products. The second is a technical infrastructure of "infratechnologies" that include the analytical tools and standards needed for measuring and classifying the components of the new technology; metrics and methods for determining the adequacy of the multiple performance attributes of the technology; and the interfaces among hardware and software components that must work together for a complex product to perform as specified. If the public?private dynamics are not properly aligned to encourage proof-of-concept research and needed infratechnologies, then promising advances in basic science can easily fall into a "valley of death" and fail to evolve into modern advanced manufacturing technologies that are ready for the marketplace. Each major technology has a degree of uniqueness that demands government support sufficiently sophisticated to allow efficient adaptation to the needs of its particular industry, whether semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, computers, communications equipment, medical equipment, or some other technology-based industry.

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  • Gregory Tassey, 2014. "Competing in Advanced Manufacturing: The Need for Improved Growth Models and Policies," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 27-48, Winter.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:28:y:2014:i:1:p:27-48
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/jep.28.1.27
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    2. André Spithoven, Belgian Science Policy Office and Ghent University & Michel Dumont & Peter Teirlinck, Belgian Science Policy Office and KU Leuven, 2014. "Working Paper 08-14 - Public support for R&D and the educational mix of R&D employees," Working Papers 1408, Federal Planning Bureau, Belgium.
    3. Diane Coyle & David Nguyen, 2019. "No plant, no problem? Factoryless manufacturing and economic measurement," Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) Discussion Papers ESCoE DP-2019-15, Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE).
    4. Elizabeth Jiménez-Medina, René Yepes-Callejas, Jim Giraldo-Builes, Iván Dario Rojas-Arenas, 2021. "Valle de la muerte: factores que dificultan el éxito de innovaciones tecnológicas," Revista CEA, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, vol. 7(15), pages 1-23, September.
    5. Torreggiani, Sofia & Andreoni, Antonio, 2023. "Rising to the challenge or perish? Chinese import penetration and its impact on growth dynamics of manufacturing firms in South Africa," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 199-212.
    6. Zhiliang Huang & Annan Peng & Tongguang Yang & Shuguang Deng & Yuexia He, 2020. "A Design-Based Learning Approach for Fostering Sustainability Competency in Engineering Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-17, April.
    7. Foucart, Renaud & Li, Qian Cher, 2021. "The role of technology standards in product innovation: Theory and evidence from UK manufacturing firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(2).
    8. Guilisse La Fortune Nkoua Nkuika & Xia Yiqun, 2022. "Quantitative Evaluation and Optimization Path of Advanced Manufacturing Development Policy Based on the PMC–AE Index Model," International Journal of Global Business and Competitiveness, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Teresa C. Fort & Justin R. Pierce & Peter K. Schott, 2018. "New Perspectives on the Decline of US Manufacturing Employment," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 47-72, Spring.
    10. Hu, Yefei & Liu, Dayong, 2022. "Government as a non-financial participant in innovation: How standardization led by government promotes regional innovation performance in China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    11. Antonio Andreoni & Guendalina Anzolin & Mateus Labrunje & Danilo Spinola, 2023. "Unveiling Structure and Dynamics of Global Digital Production Technology Networks: A new digital technology classification and network analysis based on trade data," Working Papers 261, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, UK.
    12. Andreoni, Antonio & Chang, Ha-Joon, 2019. "The political economy of industrial policy: Structural interdependencies, policy alignment and conflict management," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 136-150.
    13. Szalavetz, Andrea, 2019. "Industry 4.0 and capability development in manufacturing subsidiaries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 384-395.
    14. Lefebvre, Vincent & Certhoux, Gilles & Radu-Lefebvre, Miruna, 2022. "Sustaining trust to cross the Valley of Death: A retrospective study of business angels’ investment and reinvestment decisions," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    15. Zhenghan Chen & Tianzhen Tang & Fan Zhang & Mingran Deng, 2023. "Symbiosis-Evolution Game and Scenario-Simulation Analysis of Advanced Manufacturing Enterprises from the Perspective of an Innovation Ecosystem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, May.
    16. José Quesada-Vázquez & Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Cohard, 2019. "Subsidiary upgrading and regional innovation policies: The case of Valeo lighting Systems Spain and the Andalusian Plastic Innovation Centre," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 37(5), pages 908-928, August.
    17. Chiara Modanese & Hannu S. Laine & Toni P. Pasanen & Hele Savin & Joshua M. Pearce, 2018. "Economic Advantages of Dry-Etched Black Silicon in Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) Photovoltaic Manufacturing," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, September.
    18. Clara Turner & Marco R Di Tommaso & Chiara Pollio & Karen Chapple, 2020. "Who will win the electric vehicle race? The role of place-based assets and policy," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 35(4), pages 337-362, June.
    19. Fox, Stephen, 2015. "Moveable factories: How to enable sustainable widespread manufacturing by local people in regions without manufacturing skills and infrastructure," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 49-60.
    20. Sofia Torreggiani & Antonio Andreoni, 2019. "Dancing with dragons: Chinese import penetration and the performances of manufacturing firms in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-63, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    21. Wim Naudé, 2019. "New Technology, Entrepreneurship and the Revival of Manufacturing in Africa: Opportunities for Youth and Women?," Working Papers idrcdpru4ir, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    22. Dunke, Fabian & Heckmann, Iris & Nickel, Stefan & Saldanha-da-Gama, Francisco, 2018. "Time traps in supply chains: Is optimal still good enough?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 264(3), pages 813-829.
    23. Shi‐Xiao Wang & Wen‐Min Lu & Shiu‐Wan Hung, 2020. "Improving innovation efficiency of emerging economies: The role of manufacturing," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 503-519, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L60 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - General
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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