manufacturing
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No easy way back for U.S. manufacturing

President Donald Trump declared on October 1 that the new trade deal with Canada and Mexico signifies the return of the United States as a “manufacturing powerhouse.” U.S. manufacturing has indeed changed dramatically since 1992, when the three countries signed their original trade pact. But the complex and varied factors that have reshaped factory production in the U.S. cannot be summarily reversed.

Roboshoring: the path toward deglobalization?
The rise of industrial robotics has led some analysts to hail the beginning of a new era of “reshoring” and “deglobalization,” in which companies from developed countries bring manufacturing back home. The data show a more nuanced story though, and any manufacturing that returns will not bring many jobs with ...


The greening of China’s auto industry
Chinese car ownership and production have shot up spectacularly in recent years. The country has joined the push for driverless electric cars as part of an environmental strategy that also stresses greatly expanded public transport. Depending on which strategy Beijing selects, carmakers could be headed for boom years or hard ...


What is India’s growth rate?
India's growth rate has shot up over the past two years, after the country's statistical office changed its methodology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's opponents argue that the figures are too good to be true. The reality is a bit more complicated, but there is no question that flaws in the ...


Angola’s dependence on oil exacts toll as 2017 elections loom
Since the end of Angola’s civil war (1975-2002), oil production in the country has rapidly increased. Production more than doubled between 2004 and 2008, from 800,000 to 1.7 million barrels per day, stabilizing at around 1.8 million bpd in 2015. Oil revenues alone injected an estimated $470 billion into Angolan ...

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