MIT’s Industrial Performance Center (IPC) develops fresh insights into the character and causes of successful industrial performance through cross-cutting, studies “from-the-ground-up” of industries in the United States and other national economies. The Center’s interdisciplinary, comparative research programs help develop practica new approaches for strengthening public policies, business strategies, technical practices, and education programs.

   IPC is engaged in several major research projects. These include: 1) the IPC Globalization Project, which tracks the course and consequences of globalization through plant and firm-level observations in “home” countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan; and in “host” countries such as China, Mexico, Brazil, and eastern European countries. This research on global economic integration is being conducted in six industry sectors: electronics, communications services, motor vehicles, financial services, software, and textile/apparel; 2) the Globalization, Economic Development and Standards project determines how globalization can upgrade conditions for people in developing countries. This

project focuses on labor standards, environmental protection and related codes of conduct for the global operations of multinational corporations; and 3) the Local Innovation Systems project is benchmarking the economic impact of universities and other research institutions as part of a larger effort to examine how local and regional economic communities can create and sustain competitive advantage in an increasingly global economy.

   IPC Doctoral Fellows hold academic positions at prestigious universities across the United States, Canada, and Europe. IPC researchers are currently collaborating with colleagues at Dartmouth College, Princeton University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Helsinki University of Technology, National Technology Agency of Finland, University of Tampere, Cambridge University, Fujitsu Research Institute, Sociological Research Institute at the University of Goettingen (SOFI), and National Taiwan University.