, like some other economists, suggests that a country's economy is based not on trade, but on its manufacturing sector, and the movement away from manufacturing has resulted in an erosion of American productivity, income and technology. Losing the manufacturing base which built the American economy leaves a vacuum that the service industry cannot fill.
Batra finds that a number of American industries, including steel, cameras textiles and shoes, have fallen victim to imports produced in countries where labor is much cheaper. This is an observation, not an argument. According to Batra, American industries, including these and others, cannot compete on equal footing with foreign countries where labor costs are much cheaper. Batra also argues that it is in the industrial sectors that American industry finds its strength, and so there should be protectionist measures taken to protect American manufacturing.
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