THE POLITICAL-ECONOMY OF MANUFACTURING GROWTH AND DECLINE ACROSS THE AMERICAN STATES, 1970-1985

Extant research is inconclusive on whether recent state patterns of ma nufacturing growth and decline are influenced by state economic develo pment programs. In general, this research fails to situate states' dev elopment programs in the broader political economy of state economic d evelopment. In this article, we extend Gordon, Edwards, and Reich's (1 982) historical framework for the analysis of social structures of acc umulation to elucidate state-level economic development. Hypotheses de rived from this model are tested by performing a pooled, cross-section al, time-series analysis of state-level manufacturing growth rates for the period from 1970 to 1985. Findings indicate that manufacturing gr owth is related to several dimensions of states' political economies i ncluding state fiscal capacities, the organizational capacity of labor , social wage policies, and state political/electoral context. Finding s suggest that state-sponsored economic development policies have mini mal effects.