In Made in the USA, Vaclav Smil powerfully rebuts the notion that manufacturing is a relic of predigital history, and that the loss of American manufacturing is a desirable evolutionary step toward a pure service economy. Smil argues that no advanced economy can prosper without a strong, innovative manufacturing sector and the jobs it creates. Smil explains how manufacturing became a fundamental force behind America's economic, strategic, and social...

"From the longtime New York Times economics correspondent, a closely reported argument for the continuing importance of industry for American prosperity In the 1950s manufacturing generated nearly 30 percent of U.S. income. Over the past fifty-five years that share has gradually declined to less than 12 percent at the same time that real estate, finance, and Wall Street trading have grown. While manufacturing's share of the U.S. economy shrinks, it...