U.S. Competitiveness: Assessing the Impact of Government Activities on
Productivity and Living Standards (Testimony, 09/28/95,
GAO/T-GGD-95-196).

GAO discussed U.S. competitiveness and the impact of government
activities on the U.S. economy and living standards. GAO noted that: (1)
the definition of U.S. competitiveness has shifted from comparisons of
U.S. export market shares to a broader emphasis on productivity growth
and improvements in living standards; (2) advances in living standards
have historically been tied to technological progress and market
expansion, but productivity growth is the most important determinant;
(3) productivity can be increased by more capital, better technology, a
higher quality workforce, improved management, and government activities
that positively impact these factors; (4) the federal government can
help increase productivity by decreasing the national debt, dedicating a
greater portion of the federal budget to investment spending such as for
infrastructure, linking federal technology programs to productivity,
improving workforce training programs, and encouraging quality
management practices; and (5) although it is difficult to quantify the
impact of government activities on competitiveness, focusing on such
assessments would introduce a discipline that would go beyond only
considering the cost of government operations and would help ensure that
government activities do not detract from competitiveness.

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

 REPORTNUM:  T-GGD-95-196
     TITLE:  U.S. Competitiveness: Assessing the Impact of Government 
             Activities on Productivity and Living Standards
      DATE:  09/28/95
   SUBJECT:  Productivity
             Total quality management
             Employment or training programs
             Capital
             Investments
             Technology transfer
             Economic growth
             Competition
             Economic policies
IDENTIFIER:  NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership
             Dept. of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige Quality Improvement Award
             TQM
             
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