The proper role of government in the US economy has long been the subject of ideological dispute. This study of industrial policy as practised by administration after administration, explores the variations from a "hands-off" approach to protectionist policies and aggressive support for businesses.

Chapter 1 What's in a Name?; Chapter 2 In the Beginning: America's Long History of Industrial Policy; Chapter 3 Functional Problem Solving; Chapter 4 Aggressive Unilateralism in a Free Trade Environment; Chapter 5 Rebuilding Urban America; Chapter 6 Industrial Policy Through National Defense; Chapter 7 Industrial Policy for New Technologies: Pitfalls and Foibles, Richard D. Bingham, Maria Papadakis; Chapter 8 Why All the Fuss?;