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Creative Destruction or Just Plain Destruction?: The U.S. Textile and Apparel Industries since 1972

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  • Jim Levinsohn
  • Wendy Petropoulos

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

  • Jim Levinsohn & Wendy Petropoulos, 2001. "Creative Destruction or Just Plain Destruction?: The U.S. Textile and Apparel Industries since 1972," NBER Working Papers 8348, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:8348
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hsieh Hsih-chia & Hsieh Pei-gin, 2004. "A Generalized Theory of Monetary and Macroeconomics," Money Macro and Finance (MMF) Research Group Conference 2004 50, Money Macro and Finance Research Group.
    2. Alla Lileeva, 2008. "Trade liberalization and productivity dynamics: evidence from Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 360-390, May.
    3. repec:ilo:ilowps:374452 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Mikhail Kouliavtsev & Susan Christoffersen & Philip Russel, 2007. "Productivity, Scale and Efficiency in the U.S. Textile Industry," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Lileeva, Alla, 2008. "Trade Liberalization and Productivity Dynamics: Evidence from Canada," Economic Analysis (EA) Research Paper Series 2008051e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.
    6. Chad P. Bown & Meredith A. Crowley & Rachel McCulloch & Daisuke J. Nakajima, 2005. "The U.S. trade deficit: made in China?," Economic Perspectives, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, vol. 29(Q IV), pages 2-18.
    7. Meenu Tewari, 2005. "The Role of Price and Cost Competitiveness in Apparel Exports, Post-MFA: A Review," Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, New Delhi Working Papers 173, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, New Delhi, India.
    8. Marion Jansen & Alessandro Turrini, 2004. "Job Creation, Job Destruction, and the International Division of Labor," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(3), pages 476-494, August.
    9. Subhash C. Ray & Kankana Mukherjee & Yanna Wu, 2006. "Direct And Indirect Measures Of Capacity Utilization: A Non‐Parametric Analysis Of Us Manufacturing," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 74(4), pages 526-548, July.
    10. Kim, Kibum & Baek, Chulwoo & Lee, Jeong-Dong, 2018. "Creative destruction of the sharing economy in action: The case of Uber," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 118-127.
    11. Kyvik Nord°as, Hildegunn., 2005. "Labour implications of the textiles and clothing quota phase-out," ILO Working Papers 993744523402676, International Labour Organization.
    12. David Greenaway & Joakim Gullstrand & Richard Kneller, 2009. "Live or Let Die? Alternative Routes to Industry Exit," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 317-337, July.

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