000			02843cam a22002415i 4500
008			160804s2017 enka b 101 0 eng d
010			_a 2016950096
020			_a9780198779162 (hardback)
020			_a019877916X (hardback)
040			_cTBS
050	0	0	_aHD3611 _b.F1225 2017
082	0	4	_a338.9 _223
245	0	4	_aThe factory-free economy : _boutsourcing, servitization, and the future of industry / _cedited by Lionel Fontagné and Ann Harrison.
250			_aFirst edition.
300			_axvi, 364 pages : _billustrations ; _c23 cm.
500			_a"The conference held to discuss intiial versions of the chapters .. " -- p. vii.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references and indexes.
520			_aDe-industrialization, accelerated by the financial crisis, is a long term process. The comparative advantage of emerging economies shifted towards more advanced goods and their growing populations commanded an increasing share in global demand. This shift towards a factory-free economy in high income countries has drawn the attention of policy makers in North America and Europe. Some politicians have articulated alarming views, initiating mercantilist or 'beggar-thy-neighbour' cost-competitiveness policies. Yet companies that concentrate research and design innovations at home but no longer have any factories there may be the norm in the future. This volume proposes an economic analysis of this phenomenon and includes 11 contributions which complement each other and tackle the problem from different angles. The evidence in this book suggests that de-industrialization is a process that happens over time in all countries, even China. One implication is that criticism of China is not likely to provide a solution to these long term trends. Another implication is that the distinction between manufacturing and services is likely to become increasingly blurry. More manufacturing firms are engaging in services activities, and more wholesale firms are engaging in manufacturing. One optimistic perspective suggests that industrial country firms may be able to exploit the high-value added and skill-intensive activities associated with design and innovation, as well as distribution, which are all components of the global value chain for manufacturing. Although this ongoing transformation of the industrial economies may be consistent with evolving comparative advantage, it has significant short-run costs and requires far-sighted investments. These include the costs to workers who are caught in the shift from an industrial to a service economy, and the need to invest in new infrastructure and education to prepare coming generations for their changing roles.
650		0	_aDeindustrialization _vCongresses _xSocial aspects _922315
650		0	_aInternational trade _9495
942			_2lcc
999			_c3497 _d3497
041			_aEnglish