The United States and Germany have much in common: advanced industrial economies, high living standards, first-class universities, and leading companies. They also share the same pressures from globalization — trade competition, technological change, movement of people and ideas — around which to innovate and adapt. But the data makes it clear that Germany has better maintained its share of manufacturing in the global economy. Should Americans (and others) try to emulate the Germans’ strategy, and if so, what are the best practices most likely to translate into success?