ABSTRACT
In comparative terms, Puerto Rico's industrialization process has been extraordinarily compressed. The percentage change in share of industry in Gross domestic product since 1950 in Puerto Rico appears to have been the greatest of any country covered in the world institute for development economics research study. On the microeconomic level, economists would restate the conclusions of their analyses that Puerto Rico has moved through successive industrialization stages at a breakneck pace. The special characteristics of each lead sector thus conditions the development of the economy in unique ways, just as the environment in which the industry takes root will condition and help shape its production regime. The establishment of capital and skill structures; the development of the most advanced high-tech industries; a great rise in output and productivity; and a general increase in the health and welfare of the citizenry have all been outcomes of this massive change.
