11-21-2016, 01:13 PM
I don't have a lot of answers, but I'd say it has more to do with technology than free trade. Honda does a great and efficient job of making motorcycles and cars. Doesn't matter if they do it in Hamamatsu or Marysville.
Here in the states, the assets of the bankrupt Hostess bakery company were bought and the company restarted under private management. (A lot of Americans were glad to have their Twinkies back!) Only this time, instead of 14 plants and 9,000 workers, they totally revamped the process and have 3 plants and 500 workers. They produce more product and sell it at more locations.
The thing to figure out is how to help low and middle skilled workers deal with the rise of highly efficient capital utilization without getting run over. That's a tough nut to crack and it's very tempting to blame "those guys over there."
/econtalk
Here in the states, the assets of the bankrupt Hostess bakery company were bought and the company restarted under private management. (A lot of Americans were glad to have their Twinkies back!) Only this time, instead of 14 plants and 9,000 workers, they totally revamped the process and have 3 plants and 500 workers. They produce more product and sell it at more locations.
The thing to figure out is how to help low and middle skilled workers deal with the rise of highly efficient capital utilization without getting run over. That's a tough nut to crack and it's very tempting to blame "those guys over there."
/econtalk