Abstract
The purpose of this article is to propose an Industrial Extension Service modeled upon the Agricultural Extension Service, and suggest how it might effectively address certain fundamental problems hindering the performance of the American manufacturing sector. Part I highlights some probable causes of American manufacturing's declining relative performance. Part II discusses why firms may adopt new technology more slowly than would be optimal. Part III considers the model of the Agricultural Extension Service, pointing out those features that make it attractive and those features that would have to be changed in applying it to the industrial sector. Part III also describes early and partial experiments to form such a service, and identifies their limitations. Part IV concludes with an evaluation of the idea and recommends a basic framework for implementation.
Recommended Citation
Frank Ostroff,
Technology Diffusion and the Performance of American Manufacturing: A Propsal for an Industrial Extension Service,
6
Mich. J. Int'l L.
197
(1984).
Available at:
https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjil/vol6/iss1/12
Included in
Business Organizations Law Commons, Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons