In Praise of Hard Industries: Why Manufacturing, Not the Information Economy, Is the key to Future Prosperity

Challenging conventional wisdom, Eamonn Fingleton argues that manufacturing expertise—not the new information economy—is crucial to jobs, exports, and growth. It is universally accepted that the future of the U.S. economy depends on its successful adaptation to a postindustrial, information-based global economy. The same conventional wisdom says that advanced economies should abandon manufacturing in favor of information-driven services such as finance, entertainment, and software. In this surprising and provocative book, the acclaimed financial journalist Eamonn Fingleton demonstrates that by every measure, including high-wage job creation, contribution to national income, and balance of trade, the manufacturing sector outperforms the "new economy." In Praise of Hard Industries argues with compelling logic that America's long-term economic success depends on its strategic advantage as a manufacturer of sophisticated equipment and producer goods.