Deindustrialization in the Great Lakes

Abstract

Deindustrialization-its nature, extent, and implications—is a widely debated public issue in the United States. In this article we review the arguments and discuss criteria for gauging deindustrialization in a locality, region, or nation. We then present findings that indicate the Great Lakes region is experiencing deindustrialization. The region is undergoing a structural decline in manufacturing; it claims a shrinking share of the nation's industrial employment; and employment growth in other sectors of the regional economy has not compensated for job loss in manufacturing. The debate about appropriate government responses to deindustrialization has subsided at the federal level, but industrial policy is still a vital issue on many state and local agendas in the Great Lakes.