In America, the concept of government playing a major role in guiding the economy is usually scoffed at. Industrial policy is thought to be a distasteful, counterproductive thing without a place in the free enterprise system. Except that the U.S. government does in fact support various industries, most famously the agricultural sector. And as globalization proceeds and more high-paying U.S. jobs are threatened by overseas competition, there’s an argument to be made for a stronger government presence in “picking winners and losers.”

Helping some sectors succeed through research funds, training programs and possibly even temporary tariffs isn’t just an approach that may appeal to citizens and workers keen for good jobs and a measure of economic security. Businesses, too, can benefit in the form of early access to new technologies and skilled employees.

Various agencies devoted to regional economic development do some of this already in the United States. But our efforts seem to pale in comparison to what a number of other countries have done. Consider South Korea’s treatment of the animation industry. A recent New York Times story about a new SpongeBob SquarePants episode noted that much of the animation for the cartoon was done in South Korea:

“In the 1980s animation began to migrate overseas because the labor was less expensive and because animated shows were not selling well in the United States. The labor is still somewhat cheaper, Nickelodeon executives said, but South Korea dominates in animation because the country has built an infrastructure for the practice while in the United States there is little formal training for animators.”

Indeed, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has named animation as one of Seoul’s “strategic industries.” The government-funded Seoul Animation Center  was founded in 1999, and its activities include “the operation of various educational programs in order to produce capable human resources, support for new talents and productions, organization of events and exhibitions including animation film festivals, and the operation of an efficient information center.”

In a recent blog item Salon.com senior writer Andrew Leonard ties the SpongeBob show to the way industrial policy has promoted economic growth in East Asia.

“Chinese and Indian animation studios are now undercutting the historical Korean price advantage in cartoon production,” Leonard writes. “But cheap labor isn’t the only key to surviving in the global economy. So is finding your niche. Why are SpongeBob cartoons made in Korea, even at this late date in the evolution of Korean economy? At least in part, because the government made it a priority.”

Cartoons may not be the right niche for America at this point. But certainly there are other possibilities, including various “green technologies.” It may be time for Americans—and American businesses—to take the idea of industrial policy seriously.