Regional Manufacturing Hubs: A Path to Innovation

Accounting for roughly 12 percent of U.S. GDP, the manufacturing sector is an important driver of the economy and jobs. To kick-start a manufacturing renaissance in states and localities, the administration designated several cities – Chicago, Youngstown, Detroit, and Raleigh – to be “regional manufacturing hubs” to accelerate expansion and adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies.

On July 9, Governance Studies at Brookings hosted a half-day conference focused on manufacturing expansion policies and their efficacy and impact on the future of U.S. innovation.  Panels focused on the impact of the regional manufacturing hubs and other policy initiatives that aim to spur growth of the United States’ industrial economic base.  Questions that were explored include: Are the regional manufacturing hubs working and how have they improved – or not – America’s global competitiveness? How will these regional innovation hotspots change the future of U.S. manufacturing? How might these hubs be replicated elsewhere in the country? And what are the key challenges, opportunities, and lessons of the hubs experiment?

The conference marks the third annual John Hazen White Forum on Public Policy, which convenes leaders from academia, business, and government to discuss and identify solutions to the United States’ most pressing challenges.

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