Report

The competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing

Abstract: We study the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. For the period 1999?2012 we find little support for a significant offshoring reversal. We show that the share of domestic demand that is met by imports and the terms of trade show no signs of reversal, even in sectors dominated by imports from China. We do, however, find some evidence consistent with the U.S. shale-gas energy revolution raising the competiveness of U.S. energy-intensive sectors.

Keywords: competitiveness; reshoring; U.S. manufacturing; onshoring;

JEL Classification: F41; L60; F62;

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Part of Series: Current Policy Perspectives

Publication Date: 2014-06-01

Number: 14-3

Pages: 25 pages