Creative Destruction or Just Plain Destruction?: The U.S. Textile and Apparel Industries Since 1972
38 Pages Posted: 21 Jun 2001 Last revised: 26 Oct 2022
Date Written: June 2001
Abstract
Are the U.S. textile and apparel industries examples of creative destruction or are they just plain destructing? We investigate this question using both aggregate industry-level data and plant-level data from the U.S. Census' LRD. We find that while the aggregate-level evidence is consistent with the common view of these industries as examples of declining industries, the plant-level data support a very different and much more hopeful view. We find that in the face of intensified international competition, each industry has evolved in its own way. In textiles, there has been tremendous capitalization. In apparel, the organization of production has changed. In both cases, industry productivity has increased markedly, and this is mostly because individual plants are becoming more productive.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Growth, Globalization, and Gains from the Uruguay Round
By Thomas W. Hertel, Will J. Martin, ...
-
Global Value Chains, Upgrading and Poverty Reduction
By Joonkoo Lee, G. Gereffi, ...
-
The Post Mfa Performance of Developing Asia
By John Whalley
-
The Role of Price and Cost Competitiveness in Apparel Exports, Post-Mfa: A Review
By Meenu Tewari
-
Post-Mfa Adjustments in India's Textile and Apparel Industry: Emerging Issues and Trends
By Meenu Tewari
-
China's Growing Economic Activity in Africa
By Hany Besada, Yang Wang, ...