Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • Article
  • Economía Industrial

The Supply Chain Economy: New Policies to Drive Innovation and Jobs

By: Mercedes Delgado and Karen G. Mills
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

The debate in economic policymaking about the drivers of innovation and job creation has long centered on manufacturing versus services. The predominant view is that manufacturing drives innovation, wages, and growth, and that services provide less innovation and lower-wage jobs. We propose an alternative framework that focuses on the suppliers of goods and services to businesses and the government: the “supply chain economy.” Our research shows that by categorizing the economy into Supply Chain versus Business-to-Consumer industries, a different picture emerges. The Supply Chain industries are a distinct category of the economy that is important to innovation and well-paid jobs. In particular, Supply Chain Services have the highest wages and intensity of STEM jobs in the U.S., and have experienced rapid growth in employment and wages in the last two decades. Surprisingly, this growth seems concentrated in established firms versus new and young firms. The Supply Chain industries face unique challenges that may require new policy solutions from the public and private sector. Critical initiatives could focus on improving their access to skilled labor, buyers, capital, and data.

Keywords

Supply Chain Industries; Supply Chain; Economy; Policy; Innovation and Invention; Jobs and Positions

Citation

Delgado, Mercedes, and Karen G. Mills. "The Supply Chain Economy: New Policies to Drive Innovation and Jobs." Economía Industrial, no. 421 (December 2021).
  • Read Now

About The Author

Karen Mills

General Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • September 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Wordle

    By: Karen G. Mills, Christina Wallace, Ebehi Iyoha, Gabriella Elanbeck and Morgane Herculano
    • June 2022
    • Faculty Research

    FIELD Immersion 2022: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    By: Karen Mills and Tom Quinn
    • March 2022 (Revised April 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Pittsburgh: A Successful City?

    By: Karen Mills, Caroline Elkins, Vikram Gandhi, Gabriella Elanbeck and Zeke Gillman
More from the Authors
  • Wordle By: Karen G. Mills, Christina Wallace, Ebehi Iyoha, Gabriella Elanbeck and Morgane Herculano
  • FIELD Immersion 2022: Milwaukee, Wisconsin By: Karen Mills and Tom Quinn
  • Pittsburgh: A Successful City? By: Karen Mills, Caroline Elkins, Vikram Gandhi, Gabriella Elanbeck and Zeke Gillman
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College