From Nothing to Nissan: Industrial Policy in Mississippi

In Canton, Mississippi, a large factory operated by Nissan churns out thousands of vehicles every year. How did Mississippi, a state known for agriculture, lure the auto giant? From Nothing to Nissan: Industrial Policy in Mississippi provides an account of the strategies used by Mississippi’s political actors to attract manufacturers to the Magnolia State.

The foundation of the industrial policy playbook that prepared Mississippi to serve as a home to Nissan began years ago. While the policymakers in the antebellum era cared little for industry, the Republicans and Bourbon Democrats who took control after the Civil War believed that the state government should play a role in diversifying the state’s economy. The Progressives of the early twentieth century continued diversification efforts because they saw industry as a way to improve the welfare of Mississippians. Governor Hugh White increased the scale and scope of government intervention following the Great Depression, and the industrially minded governors who followed, facing global competition, prioritized industrialization to improve the state’s economy.

Extremely thorough yet readable, From Nothing to Nissan gives readers an overarching history of industrial policymaking and development from the state’s foundation through the year 2000. The book also examines the multiyear process to acquire Nissan and build the factory in Canton as well as the human and community costs in building an automobile plant.

Casey Shin is assistant professor of politics and law at Rhodes College.