Head to Head: The Coming Economic Battle among Japan, Europe, and America

With the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the implosion of the USSR in 1991, the Cold War era has ended. Immediately, a new economic struggle begins. Three economic superpowers emerge, each playing the game of capitalism in a strikingly different manner. And, for the first time, the United States is the second largest economy in the world. As the domestic economy stagnates and the deficit financing of the federal government escalates, many Americans see themselves at a turning point. And well they might. In "Head to Head", Lester Thurow provides an assessment of the emerging economic landscape, the rules of this new three-way competition; the strengths and weaknesses of the players; and the information needed to win. "Head to Head" contains several surprises; one attribute of the new competition is that radical new skills and radical new ways of thinking are vital to success.
For example: competition and cooperation - in the 1990s, there will be no clear winners, but losers might be destroyed, the ability to co-operate effectively with one's direct adversary will be a requisite for survival; resources - those who want to thrive in this new environment must overhaul their whole notion of essential resources before the year 2000; key industries - there are seven key industries vital to the maintenance of a high standard of living, how can the competitiveness of those industries be maintained over the coming decade and beyond?; education - education is the most potent weapon of the new warfare, how can the education gap be closed?; and teams - how can we learn to become players in new and unfamiliar ways?