After showing the promise of a sustainable economic resurgence, has the Midwest reverted to its previous downward spiral? We think the answer is a qualified no—the recent weakness in the region's economy is not as self-perpetuating as it has been in the past. However, the marked slowdown in the natural economy exposed the soft underbelly of the Midwest economy—its auto industry. In a sense, the national economy was growing too slowly to allow the Midwest to offset the negative effects of restructuring the auto industry.
Chicago Fed Letter,
No. 32,
April
1990
The Midwest Struggles With a National Slowdown