Manufacturing In Decline? A Matter Of Definition

Abstract

This paper offers a new approach to the definition of manufacturing activities, placing them in a broader framework to capture the dynamics of manufacturing in the economy. After discussing why in many cases it may bc appropriate to consider producer services and tnanttfacturing industries together, the paper analyzes the development of manufacturing and producer service industries in the United States. We examine the factors leading to the growth of producer services, concluding that unbundling, the shift of some activities (such as legal, accounting, and data processing services) from manufacturing to producer services industries, is an important explanation for this growth. Finally, we discuss the relationship between manufacturing and producer services. Our analysis, based on a broader definition of manufacturing, shows that over the last two decades the U.S. manufacturing base has declined only slightly rather than radically as suggested in many studies.