Professor Dan Breznitz believes that manufacturing in the United States has slipped so far, it’s no longer able to produce the basic equipment it needs to combat the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Breznitz, a Professor and Munk Chair of Innovation Studies in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy with a cross-appointment in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Department of Political Science, teamed up with journalist David Adler to write an op-ed article in the New York Times that was published January 4.
“The United States no longer produces even the essentials, from personal protective equipment to our smartphones and laptops,” they wrote.
According to the authors, American manufacturing is so lacking, the U.S. is dependent on other countries, especially China, to supply necessities like medical supplies and surgical masks. Equally surprising, 70 per cent of respirators used south of the border are produced overseas.
Breznitz believes America still has the tools and resources to return to manufacturing prominence, but what’s missing is a “powerful, sustainable demand for goods made in the United States.”
With respect to the pandemic, he argues that if medical equipment products are going to be successfully manufactured in the U.S., there must be sustained purchases by the government at the federal, state and local levels. This model can then be followed for other industries in the future.
Breznitz believes this can happen, though it may take years before solid results are achieved. The payoff? Prosperity for future generations of Americans, and the much-needed ability to be more self-sufficient should another global crisis strike.
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The New York Times | January 4, 2021