Microelectronics at work: productivity and jobs in the world economy. [Monograph]

Book · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:6591202

Norman, C

Some of the technological developments that lie at the core of this electronic revolution are less than a decade old. An attempt to assess their social and economic significance is thus akin to forecasting the impact of the automobile on society as the first Model T rolled off the assembly line. Yet one thing is clear: microelectronic technology will have a pervasive and long-lasting influence on international trade, patterns of employment, communications, industrial productivity, entertainment, and social relationships. The spread of microelectronic technology will be a mixed blessing. Its impact on levels and patterns of employment could be enormous. The labor-saving potential of microelectronics is such that many jobs could disappear as employers take advantage of the increased productivity offered by computer-controlled equipment. Indeed, it is this potential that provides much of the driving force behind the rapid adoption of the technology. The complex social and economic issues raised by the development of microelectronics are likely to pose difficult problems for industrial and economic policy in every country. An intense debate has already erupted in Europe over some of these issues, though it has yet to be joined in the United States. Moreover, the special problems posed for developing countries by the emergence of a technology that could fundamentally affect patterns of production, world trade, and international investment have received only scant attention.

• OSTI ID: 6591202
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990300 -- Information Handling
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ECONOMIC IMPACT
EMPLOYMENT
EUROPE
GLOBAL ASPECTS
LABOR
MICROELECTRONICS
NORTH AMERICA
PRODUCTIVITY
SOCIAL IMPACT
USA