Export Promotion: Rationales For and Against Government Programs and
Expenditures (Testimony, 05/23/95, GAO/T-GGD-95-169).

The U.S. government currently has several trade promotion programs that
provide business counseling, training, market research information,
export subsidies, and export finance assistance and sponsor trade
missions and fairs.  In today's tight budget environment, Congress is
carefully reviewing all government programs and expenditures.  Export
promotion programs are receiving close scrutiny because they involve, at
a minimum, government intervention in markets and, in the most expansive
form, provide subsidies to the private sector.  This testimony addresses
the following issues: What are the justifications for such programs? Can
money be saved and the programs made more cost effective? Are such
programs, irrespective of whether they are cost effective and are
grounded in an analytically defensible rationale, worthy of the
expenditure of taxpayer dollars, given the extent of proposed cuts in a
whole range of government programs?

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-GGD-95-169
     TITLE:  Export Promotion: Rationales For and Against Government 
             Programs and Expenditures
      DATE:  05/23/95
   SUBJECT:  International trade
             Exporting
             Business assistance
             Sales promotion
             Export regulation
             Commodity marketing
             Agricultural programs
             Foreign trade policies
             Economic analysis
             International economic relations
IDENTIFIER:  Dept. of Commerce National Trade Data Bank
             USDA Market Promotion Program
             USDA Export Enhancement Program
             USDA GSM-102 Program
             USDA GSM-103 Program
             Tied Aid Capital Projects Fund
             
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