A Short History of American Industrial Policies

by Nester, William R.

• ISBN13: 9780312211028
• ISBN10: 0312211023
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-11-01
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

For nearly four centuries, Americans have debated the government's proper role in developing the economy. Some argue that the economy develops the best when government intervenes the least. Others counter that the economy best develops when government and business work together to that end. That debate is actually quite sterile and ironic. As this history makes clear, since the federal government was first instituted, it has picked winners and losers, favoring some industries, firms, regions, cities, and technologies, and neglecting others. Politics and pressure groups rather than strategic planning determine America's mix of industrial policies. Throughout the nations' history, an economic development and security usually determined whether or not it was nurtured. Even those who advocate the free market tend to make an exception when the government enriches their own special interests. This book analyzes the ideological, political, and industrial policy struggle from the colonial era to the 1990s.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Industrial Policy Debate - Jefferson versus Hamilton	p. 1
For Better or for Worse: Policymaking	p. 15
For Better or for Worse: the Policies	p. 38
The Roots of Industrialization, 1607-1860	p. 73
Industrialization Unbound, 1860-1932	p. 122
Industrialization Bound, 1933-80	p. 163
Reaganomics versus Clintonomics, 1981-2000	p. 192
The Industrial Policy Legacy	p. 222
Notes	p. 263
Bibliography	p. 297
Index	p. 323
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.