From the Institute for International Economics, Mann, who is joined by Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, considers the globalization of the information technology industry and how it affects the overall globalization of America. She discusses why a narrow focus on IT products and industries is needed; links between US firms and global marketplaces; effects on the US economy and workers; international trade; innovation and research and development, venture capital funding, and the need for research professionals; and recommended policies. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Information technology (IT) was key to the superior overall macroeconomic performance of the United States in the 1990s—high productivity, high growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. But IT also played a role in increasing earnings dispersion in the labor market—greatly rewarding workers with high education and skills. This US performance did not happen in a global vacuum. Globalization of US IT firms promoted deeper integration of IT throughout the US economy, which in turn promoted more extensive globalization in other sectors of the US economy and labor market. How will the increasingly globalized IT industry affect US long-term growth, intermediate macro performance, and disparities in the US labor market? What policies are needed to ensure that the United States remains first in innovation, business transformation, and education and skills, which are prerequisites for US economic leadership in the 21st century? This book traces the globalization of the IT industry, its diffusion into the US economy, and the prospects and implications of more extensive technology-enabled globalization of products and services.
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