Modeling Structural Change in the U.S. Textile Industry

The book reviews the experience of the textile and apparel sectors over the post-war period, examining the cost structure, production technologies, labor substitution, imports, and substitutability of fibers. It finds that significant structural breaks altered the nature of production technologies and economic relationships, with labor being replaced by capital and new technologies making it easier to substitute capital for labor. Policy changes allowed greater access to developed country markets, stimulating production in developing countries and enhancing the role of imports from developing countries. Structural changes also led to the release of labor and plant closings, as well as capital deepening. The analysis quantifies demand relationships among natural and synthetic fibers, revealing that structural changes often encouraged the use of synthetic fibers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 112 pages
Publication date: 18 December 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The book examines the textile and apparel sectors' post-war experience, analyzing the cost structure and production technologies. It finds significant structural breaks that altered production technologies and economic relationships, with labor replaced by capital and new technologies making it easier to substitute capital for labor. Textile trade has been heavily regulated, but policy changes have allowed greater access to developed country markets, stimulating production in developing countries and enhancing the role of imports from developing countries. This has led to structural changes, including the release of labor and plant closings, and capital deepening. The analysis also quantifies demand relationships among natural and synthetic fibers, revealing that structural changes often encouraged the use of synthetic fibers.

Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138976245