Productivity and Cyclicality in Semiconductors: Trends, Implications, and Questions: Report of a Symposium (2004)
Chapter: Closing Remarks
Closing Remarks
Dale W. Jorgenson
Harvard University
Dr. Jorgenson concluded the symposium by declaring it a success and expressing his gratitude to the participants. In organizing the discussion, he said, the objective of the STEP board had been to initiate a dialogue among economists who had been interested in the semiconductor industry for some time, and who had been inspired by the knowledge that it had recently played an even more strategic role than before in the performance of the economy. The topic was accessible, he said, because the economics of this industry can “be understood without understanding the technology.” At the same time, the technology of semiconductors is driven largely by the economics. In short, he said, there is a community of interest between the technological and economic communities and an obvious need for collaboration on questions that neither group can answer on its own.
