We often hear that high labor costs and excessive regulation have hurt the United States’ ability to compete globally in\u00a0manufacturing.\u00a0 Yet one of the goals of the recently concluded G-20 summit was to persuade Germany, no less than China, to whack back its export-driven economy in favor of greater consumerism.\u00a0\u00a0 So how does Germany, with its mandatory Mitbestimmung (worker participation in management decisions), strong unions,\u00a0and extensive welfare protections, \u00a0keep its export sector competitive.\u00a0 Perhaps by concentrating on high-end engineered products.\u00a0 But so could the U.S., presumably.\u00a0 I find this a puzzle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We often hear that high labor costs and excessive regulation have hurt the United States’ ability to compete globally in\u00a0manufacturing.\u00a0 Yet one of the goals of the recently concluded G-20 summit was to persuade Germany, no less than China, to … Continue reading