The U.S. is on the verge of a period of unprecedented growth, writes economist and author Joel Kurtzman in his latest book, Unleashing the Second American Century: Four Forces for Economic Dominance. Kurtzman directly challenges those who describes the U.S. as a declining power.

“The facts are different from what people are saying in Washington. The United States is the world’s greatest manufacturing power, and our amazing creativity is propelling our economy forward. We have more than $4 trillion in capital waiting to be invested, and massive energy reserves,” said Kurtzman. “Our best days are yet to come.”

In his book, published by Public Affairs, Kurtzman describes four forces which have been overlooked in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. Drawing on years analyzing and reporting on the economy, markets, and business, Kurtzman shows how these forces will provide the foundation for prosperity.

Four forces:

1. Soaring creativity —America’s stunning levels of talent and creativity in the world’s fastest growing economic sectors consistently break new ground. Not only have America’s great universities and companies changed science and business, they changed world culture.
2. Massive energy reserves —Advances in technology allow the US to tap into its massive energy reserves. After years of being dependent on other countries, America will soon be energy independent, exporting energy to other countries. Imagine a future in which the energy wealth of Russia or Saudi Arabia flows to our shores and is invested here.
3. Gigantic amounts of capital —U.S. companies have built up assets worth more than $4.4 trillion —an amount larger than Germany’s economy. That money will be invested here.
4. Unrivaled manufacturing depth —The idea that “America doesn’t make anything anymore” is a myth. The U.S. is the world’s dominant manufacturing power, especially in high tech goods like jet engines, aircraft and in chemicals. Companies like BMW, Siemens and Toyota make things here because of our resources and productivity.

Recent reviews:

“[Kurtzman] offers an upbeat, mouthwatering forecast…[his] overall thesis is certainly plausible and makes for an intriguing and at times very informative read.” —WALL STREET JOURNAL

“If you want to feel good about America’s future, read Kurtzman.” —FINANCIAL TIMES

“Fasten your seat belts. If Kurtzman…is right, the American economy is fueled for an unprecedented takeoff into a new era of economic growth…” —Kirkus

See Joel on:

NBC’s Meet the Press
Morning Joe
Fox News Lou Dobbs Tonight

About Joel Kurtzman

Joel Kurtzman is senior fellow at the Milken Institute, a member of the editorial board of MIT Sloan Management Review, and a senior fellow at the Wharton School’s SEI Center. He was the editor-in-chief of Harvard Business Review, and a global partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Follow him on Twitter @jkurtzman.

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