Examines the rise in cultural exports and the decline in manufactured goods in the U.S. economy.
In the past twenty years, America’s manufacturing has declined yet the export of cultural goods has skyrocketed. This paper analyzes this shift in relative importance of the two sectors. It emphasizes American maturity in the Fordist economy and inability to adapt to post-Fordist manufacturing. Also, it highlights the technological changes of the Information Revolution that have increased the penetration of media and cultural goods.