Making It In America

Manufacturing in America

"The fight for American manufacturing is the fight for America's future", President Obama has declared—one that will require a fundamentally different economic strategy for ensuring a sustained, widely shared prosperity. The "Making it in America" project exists to foster a broad public debate about this strategy, with an emphasis on reviving manufacturing as a key element of the new economy.

Blogs and Opinion

THE LATEST

BLOGS AND OPINION

The Jobs Report, and Why the Recovery Has Stalled by Robert B. Reich, robertreich.org | February 1, 2013
New Poll: America's Workers Soundly Reject Social Security Benefit Cuts by Jackie Tortora, aflcio.org | February 1, 2013
Good News On Jobs: Growth Was Steady To Start The Year, And 2012 Was Better Than First Thought by Neil Irwin, The Washington Post | February 1, 2013
Jobs on Jobs on Jobs on Jobs by Jamelle Bouie, prospect.org | February 1, 2013
At This Pace, The U.S. Won't Get Back To Full Employment Until 2022 by Brad Plumer, The Washington Post | February 1, 2013
Report: Nearly Half of Americans Have No Safety Net to Keep Them Out of Poverty by Lauren Kelley, alternet.org | January 31, 2013
Immigration Catch-22 by Jaime Fuller, prospect.org | January 30, 2013
Obama Pushes Ahead With Immigration Reform -- Here's the Good, Bad and the Ugly by Joshua Holland, alternet.org | January 30, 2013
GOP Prepares To Blame Obama For Immigration Deal Collapse by Alex Pareene, salon.com | January 30, 2013
Can The Rising Progressive Tide Lift All Ships? by Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Washington Post | January 29, 2013

China Currency, U.S. Jobs

The decision by China to keep the value of its currency artificially low has a direct impact on jobs in the United States. But that's just one of a host of issues the Obama administration and Congress must address to rebuild America's job base and reestablish its global competitiveness. We're calling on the administration and Congress to call out China on its currency manipulation—and to forge an industrial policy that strengthens our economy.

» Find articles and resources on our China Currency Showdown page

Why We Need To Revive American Manufacturing

For more than three decades, we have been shedding factories and manufacturing jobs—as well as the suppliers, contractors, shippers, trainers, managers and other jobs that go along with them. Here are some basic facts you should know about the state of American manufacturing, as well as the outlines of a progressive approach that will create new jobs for a 21st-century economy.

ALSO Read Scott Paul on the urgent need to revitalize American manufacturing.

MAKING IT IN AMERICA

Under Debate: The State
Of Manufacturing

There's no disputing that America's manufacturing sector is on the ropes—or is there? Some experts argue that manufacturing in the U.S. is healthy; it's the workers who have to adjust, not our industrial policy. We present the argument, then take it apart. For anyone concerned about how we are going to create new, stable jobs with living wages, this is a debate that matters. Join it »