THE
OF
This site presents two analyses of the United States government's economic policies compared to a list of 35 economic policies as prepared by students Lilah Segal-Angel in 2019 and Leopoldo Pederson in 2023 with the Mike P. McKeever Institute of Economic Policy Analysis (MIEPA). To read the analyses scroll through this site. To learn more about the background policies, click here
To learn more about MIEPA, click here
The first study is by Specialist Lilah Segal-Angel, and is presented immediately below. To read the additional study by Leopoldo Pederson scroll though the study by Lilah Segal-Angel.
LILAH SEGAL-ANGEL
RATING SUMMARY - LILAH SEGAL-ANGEL
POLICY NUMBER RAW SCORE ADJUSTED SCORE POSSIBLE PERCENTAGE
1 5.0 15.0 15.0 100 %
2 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
3 3.0 9.0 15.0 60
4 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
5 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
6 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
7 3.0 9.0 15.0 60
8 3.0 9.0 15.0 60
9 2.0 6.0 15.0 40
10 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
11 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
12 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
13 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
14 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
15 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
16 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
17 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
18 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
29 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
20 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
21 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
22 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
23 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
24 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
25 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
26 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
27 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
28 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
29 3.0 3.0 5.0 60
30 3.0 3.0 5.0 60
31 5.0 5.0 5.0 100
32 5.0 5.0 5.0 100
33 4.0 4.0 5.0 80
34 5.0 10.0 5.0 100
35 2.0 2.0 5.0 40
TOTAL 128.0 279.0 370.0 75.4%
===== ====== ===== =====
INDIVIDUAL POLICIES - LILAH SEGAL-ANGEL
1.Freedom from Internal Control (5.0)
Mobility rights are clearly listed in article thirteen of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They ensure that any citizen is able to move or reside where they please in the state. This affects business in a crucial way. If someone sees that there is potential for a larger profit margin somewhere else in the country, they have all the agency they need to move.
This is largely in contrast to other countries such as China and Russia, where citizens need an internal passport to even travel between states.
https://projectpartner.org/poverty/hukou-system-explained-chinas-internal-passport/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_movement_under_United_States_law
2. Freedom of speech (5.0)
One of the most well known and highly regarded principles of the United States democracy is the employment of freedom of speech. This is a non partisan consensus, which brings people together. The first amendment to the constitution ensures freedom of speech. This includes freedom of the press, religious establishments, and the right of people to petition of government. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are founded to ensure this is carried out and will represent those they don't believe have freedom of speech.
For businesses, this ensures they are able to not worry about government action taken against them for what they are selling.
In the United States, we also have freedom of the media. Anyone can create an account, channel, news or radio station, and begin talking about their views. Their views could be liberal or extreme, or even disagree and bash on the government. However, as the constitution states, this is not punishable by law offence.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment
https://www.aclu.org
3. Effective, fair police force (3.0)
While the U.S. police force is relatively effective, the fairness of it is explicitly bad. The police force has had many scandals of racism, especially with murdering many minorities, young black men in particular. Criminalization rates of minorities are highly disproportionate compared to population, even when minorities are not more likely to commit crimes.
For example in New York City, the implementation of stop and frisk lead to 90% non-whites getting stopped, 53% of those being African Americans. In contrast to the population, which was 66% non-whites and only 25% black. In other words, an African American was twice as likely to be stopped then they were to be black. Businesses however, are protected by police and need not fear in the same way individuals might.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/08/13/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-stop-and-frisk-and-why-the-courts-shut-it-down/
https://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17520/police_unions_racist
4. Private Property (5.0)
The fifth amendment in the United States constitution states that no person will be deprived of property. Property rights are one of the distinguishing aspects the framers of the United States constirtution saw as valuable. The United States protects property under law. Should citizens own private property, it is the courts role to intervene and judge if large scale issues arise. For example in the situation of a stolen goods, the police force will assess the situation and it will be brought to court if too large. We are protected with protection of our ownership.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fifth_amendment
https://people.uwec.edu/ivogeler/w270/privateproperty.htm
5. Commercial Banks (4.0)
In the United States, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures the national banking system. The number of FDIC insured banks has declined by 3,162 banks. The two leading commercial banks are JP Morgan and Chase. Commercial Banks work more with businesses or individuals.
As our economy has been growing, so has the importance of these banks. The primary use purpose of these banks is to make loans and accept deposits. Business expansion is largely contingent on capital, enabled by the loans. In 2020 the projected annual revenue is over 250 billion dollars. Even though the number of banks has declined, the value of their loans has increased.
Despite political corruption (2008 recession and bail out) commercial banks are vastly important in our economy, especially in the entrepreneurship sector.
https://www.statista.com/topics/4406/commercial-banks-in-the-us/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/184536/number-of-fdic-insured-us-commercial-bank-institutions/
6. Communication 5.0
The federal communications commission is an independent government agency that overviews and regulates all domestic and international communication: satellite, radio, television, wire, and cable. It was formed in 1934 by the Communications Act. They also manage smartphone companies, and wifi providers, making sure there are no monopolies and competition remains.
Citizens are able to communicate to anyone domestically (and in most cases internationally) provided they have the needed technology. Communication is easily accessible through phone calls, text messages, email, and postal services.
https://www.fcc.gov
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Communications_Commission
7. Transportation 3.0
Transportation in the United States is heavily reliant on cars. There is not a public transportation system to travel across the country and in many cases just to travel between cities. To travel one would need to fly, drive their own car, or go with a private bus company. Even in New York City, known for its subway system is bar below its 1947 peak of riders.
Many european countries have well developed train systems that even travel internationally. In Japan, the bullet train, with the ability to travel at 320 kilometers per hour, has gained acclimation as a rapid mass transit method.
However, America is quite accessible through private means. There are over 330 international airports with a larger amount carrying domestic flights. Long highways connect states, and if someone owns a car, they do possess the individual ability to go anywhere on the mainland.
I am giving it 3.0, as the United States has the resources, technological ability, and obvious need for vast improvements.
https://www.japanstation.com/shinkansen-high-speed-train-network-in-japan/
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/08/how-america-killed-transit/568825/
8. Education (3.0)
The United States education system is one of the largest institutions of education in the world. There are over almost 133,000 K-8 schools, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. A large amount of regulations for school, such as number of mandatory days per year and standardized testing, are determined by state. So, a student will have a different experience in across the country. Additionally, there is a large divide between public and private schools. Private schools generally have a smaller student to teacher ratio, and studies have shown they provide a higher level of academics, when SAT/ACT scores are compared.
Nationally, the United States doesn’t have the bragging rights it does when we can compare our GDP. According to the Pew research center, we are nowhere near being in the top 20 for Science and Reading and are much closer to 40 for Mathematics in an international ranking. Singapore comes in first for all three.
While public education is free and accessible to all, there are many limitations and inconsistencies throughout the country. The education system is ranked at 3.0 as there is still a lot more to go.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/15/u-s-students-internationally-math-science/
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local-education/private-schools-top-public-average-act-sat-scores/ogxXenS4uDB7Hv6w39RtBK/
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_105.50.asp?current=yes
9. Social Mobility (2.0)
America was founded on ideals of social mobility, the story coined as the American Dream. It showed many people arriving as immigrants and raising their status to heads of businesses. In reality, the majority of people keep their social status. According to the economist, a person who was born in the bottom 20% of U.S. social status, they only have a 7.8% chance of rising to the top 20%.
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/02/14/americans-overestimate-social-mobility-in-their-country
10. Shares of all jobs in small businesses (5.0)
The United States office of Advocacy classifies small businesses as those with less than 500 employees. They list that small businesses make up 99.7% of all United States employer firms. In 2015, small businesses employed 47.9% of all those in the workforce. The United States government promotes and encourages cultivation of small businesses. We recognize their positive impact on the economy, especially when it comes to lowering the unemployment rate.
https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/2018-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf
https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/FAQ_Sept_2012.pdf
11. Freedom from outside control (5.0)
The United States has been universally known as one of the leaders in modern democracy. It has a strong rule of law rooted in the ideals of freedom and power to the people. One of the main components is checks and balances, so no branch of government has the most power.
In addition, the U.S. has natural rights that are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This stretches far beyond what most countries institute, hold as ideal, and practice.
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/united-states
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-ideals-of-democracy/a/the-ideas-at-the-heart-of-us-government
12. Protection of domestic enterprises (3.0)
To protect domestic enterprises, countries will institut tarifs to try and encourage consumers to purchase within the economy. Currently U.S. President Trump has instituted new tariffs and significantly raised them in order to try to combat the large trade deficit we are in.
However, previously the U.S. has been known for record low trade tariffs. Adam Smith was a big promoter of low tariffs, as they would interrupt free trade. According to the World Bank, in 2016 the U.S. had tarifs of 1.61% while Canada was much lower at 0.85% and China much higher at 3.58%.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/22/u-s-tariffs-are-among-the-lowest-in-the-world-and-in-the-nations-history/
https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/the-total-cost-of-trumps-new-tariffs/
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042315/how-do-tariffs-protect-domestic-industries.asp
13. Foreign Currency Transactions (5.0)
U.S. currency holds one of the highest regards internationally. According to the U.S. security and exchange commission, much of European exchange rates is conducted in USD. 65% of printed dollar bills are used internationally, with 75% of $100 bills also used outside of the country. In addition, many countries calculate their GDP in terms of USD.
https://www.thebalance.com/world-currency-3305931
https://www.sec.gov/answers/forcurr.htm
14. Border Control (3.0)
The responsibility of border control falls to the United States Customs Border Protection, which is part of the national government. They manage and control border security, immigration, and agricultural protection. In addition, over 60,000 people are employed by them. Since the Trump administration took office, the border has been in the news frequently. There has been much discussion of building a wall spanning the entire 2,000 mile US-Mexico border. In February 2019, President Trump declared a state of emergency because it was not being built.
Currently, there are thousands of immigrants who are detained in camps across the border seeking refuge. Many of them are forced into dire conditions and as a result have been in compressed health, some resulting in death.
https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/detention-statistics
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46824649
https://www.cbp.gov/about
15. Currency (5.0)
The United States currency is the most popular in the world. It is the most frequently traded as well as it being the unofficial reserve currency. A term coined “dollarization” means another country will put their currency into dollars value. This happens when their currency is unstable and unmanageable. This occurred in Zimbabwe in 2008.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dollarization.asp
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/11/popular-currencies-and-why-theyre-traded.asp
16. Cultural, Language Homogeneity (3.0)
America has always been fast to pride itself on diversity and multiculturalism. However, in practice there is much evidence against that. For example, even in recent years some schools have banned spanish speaking outside of spanish class.
In public places, many cities employ different languages for public service announcements. This however, has been a recent addition to encourage inclusivity, but mostly just appears in large urban centers.
https://www.adcouncil.org/News-Events/Press-Releases/Ready-Campaign-Launches-National-PSA-in-Mandarin-with-Los-Angeles-Station-LA-18-KSCI
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2003/10/29/09spanish.h23.html
17. Political Effectiveness (2.0)
Since Donald Trump took office in the United States, we have multiple government shutdowns. The most recent one was the longest in U.S. history and caused many negative ripple effects, such as no airport security.
In addition to government shutdowns, President Trump has also created an extreme divisiveness which hinders effectiveness. For example, he has created a strong “us vs. them” ideology in the government. That has dissipated into the masses, which create divisive elections.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/19/16905584/government-shutdown-history-clinton-obama-explained
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/trump-america-divided-190805093010244.html
18. Institutional Stability (5.0)
Governmental institutional stability is something that separates it from other countries, as well as being a large influence. The United States government was created in response from the oppressive government in Britain. Its model was to create enough stability and balance between official and the people.
So far throughout history the constitution has been effective in that way. Unlike other governments, each time a term ends officials step down. We also have a distinct separation of powers. In addition, we have remained consistent in how policy is formed, how voting is conducted, and other ways that can only been structural and institutional stability.
https://www.varsitytutors.com/earlyamerica/early-america-review/volume-13/constitution-separates-power
https://www.lawliberty.org/2015/10/22/the-stability-of-constitutions/
19. Honest Government (2.0)
In 2018, the Corruption Perceptions Index ranked the United States at 22. While it ranks higher than many other countries in the big picture, considering the US is one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world, it is a poor ranking.
Since the beginning of the US, government corruption has been active. Now, with the Trump administration it is even more prominent. We blatantly see this in regards to the 2016 election with Russian collusion.
https://www.nber.org/papers/w10952
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018
20. Common Law (2.0)
Common law is unwritten expectations of civility. It appears where there are broad areas of law which are up for interpretation, and also ensures the equal treatment of people. In essence, no discrimintaion on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation etc. In the US, common law is preached but not necessarily practiced. We see this in statistics, such as one from the NAACP, where they list African Americans being incarcerated at 5 times the rate of white people. Everyday people are treated inhumanely based off of their differences.
https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/
https://www.upcounsel.com/legal-def-common-law
21. Central Bank (5.0)
The Federal Reserve bank is the United State’s central bank. It was founded in 1913 and remains of of the most powerful financial institutions in the world. Although it is the US bank, it operates outside of the government, so decisions that are made do not have to go through congress.
The bank manages many things such as interest rates, monetary value/prices, and tries to ensure maximum employment. In other words it is in charge of maintaining financial stability in the US economy.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_12594.htm
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/federalreservebank.asp
22. Domestic Budget Management (2.0)
United States president announced his intended budget for 2020, at $4.746 trillion; that is the highest it has ever been. However, the predicted U.S. government revenue is $3.643 trillion. This budget would increase the debt deficit we are already in by $1.103 trillion. Despite the United States being the wealthiest nation in the world, it lacks skills in budget management.
https://www.thebalance.com/u-s-federal-budget-breakdown-3305789
https://www.thebalance.com/current-u-s-federal-government-tax-revenue-3305762
23. Government Debt (2.0)
As of February 2019, the United States hit a record of 22 trillion USD in public debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects a deficit increase over the coming years. In 2017, the United States was in debt 105.7% of the GDP. China, one of the US’s biggest competitors has almost half of the debt (ratio of GDP) of the US. However, Japan is in over twice the amount of debt (ratio to GDP) as the United States.
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/55151
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/13/694199256/u-s-national-debt-hits-22-trillion-a-new-record-thats-predicted-to-fall
24. Economic Statistics (5.0)
The United States practices an “open data” policy. This means the government honors data transparency and publishes many statistics for the people directly. Data is collected and published on many things (that include but are not limited to) crime, food and agriculture, transportation, labor, housing etc.
Different departments of the government are responsible for publishing their own findings. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes information on the consumer price index, the producer price index, and current employment statistics. For the BLS, data is published every year, second month, and bi-anually.
https://www.bls.gov/data/
https://www.usa.gov/statistics
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218
25. Protection of Public Health and Safety (3.0)
Throughout the past century, The United States has implemented many health and safety initiatives and pieces of legislature. The U.S. Department of Health and Safety is a branch of the federal government which oversees these initiatives. They monitor many issues such a food safety and regulations, drug use and safety, Medical Device safety, and safety from violence and abuse.
However, the United States still combats many issues relating to these focuses. For example, there is an Opioid epidemic involving many states and grave impact.
The National Institute on drug abuse reportes states such as West Virginia and Ohio having nearly 50 per 100,000 people die in opioid overdose in 2017.
In The United States the infant mortality rate is about 6 while most European countries are at least half as small as that. We are closer to Chile in ranking than we are to countries with unstable governments such as Greece. Iceland has the lowest rate.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state
https://www.hhs.gov/programs/public-health-safety/index.html
https://www.americashealthrankings.org/learn/reports/2018-annual-report/findings-international-comparison
26. High Wage Policies (1.0)
In 2019, the current federal minimum wage is $7.50 per hour; it has not increased since 2009. Minimum wage differs within cities and states, and an employee is entitled to the higher wage. With working a standard 40 hour work week, based off of the federal minimum wage, one would make $1,200 per month and $1,4400 annually (non adjusted for taxes).
Even the places that are the cheapest to live in (Kansas, Arkansas) one would still need upwards of double working full time on the federal minimum wage.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/19/living-wage-for-a-single-person-in-every-us-state.html
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/2018-19-federal-state-minimum-wage-rates-2061043
27. Environmental Protection (3.0)
In 1970 President Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It serves to protect and conserve the health of the environment and people. The EPA creates laws and regulations in Washington D.C.
In publishings from the EPA’s website studies conducted from the 1960’s compared to now show consistent decrease in airborne toxins. In a Yale and Columbia University study, the United States was ranked 29th in terms of water, and 10th in air quality.
https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/aug/23/donald-trump/united-states-not-cleanest-country/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/02/08/under-trump-epa-inspections-fall-year-low/
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/environmental-protection-agency.asp
28. Strong Army (5.0)
In the world today, The United States has the strongest military in comparison to other countries. Despite having less active members on duty (compared to other countries), the US’ military budget in 2018 was $587.8 billion. China falls second in budget ranking, having a mear $162.7 billion.
We also outperform other countries in number of tanks, aircrafts, air carriers, and rank second in submarines. The United States army is one of the most highly trained and influential militaries in the world.
https://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-worlds-most-powerful-militaries-2018-2
https://www.heritage.org/defense/heritage-explains/how-strong-the-united-states-military
29. Foreign Trade Impact (3.0)
The United States employs high trade tariffs to regulate prices, however, generally more trade restrictions hurt economies. Since 1975, the US has been in a trade deficit, meaning it consumes more imports than it exports.
The US and China have the biggest trade deficit with Mexico following. Most of the deficit is created by the US producing raw materials and outsourcing the manufacturing to foreign countries.
In 2017, the percent of GDP made up of trades (exports and imports) was 27%.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS
https://www.thebalance.com/trade-deficit-by-county-3306264
https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/the-impact-of-foreign-trade-on-the-economy/?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=4794AF7CDDFCD609992561CB1583760D&gwt=pay&assetType=REGIWALL
https://taxfoundation.org/impact-of-tariffs-free-trade/
30. Management of Foreign Currency Budget (3.0)
The United States currently has 128845 Million USD in foreign exchange reserves. This is managed by the US country Central bank. Reserves are either gold or a specific currency.
The United States has significantly increases its federal reserve holdings throughout the past 50 years. Both China and Germany, two of the US's biggest economic competitors have very similar amounts on reserve.
However, the U.S. is also in a grave trade deficit. Too many imports caused loans and therefore debt to the country.
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/foreign-exchange-reserves
31. Layers of collective action (5.0)
In the United States, we employ a democratic government system. Outcomes are decided by a majority vote. In addition, terms of service are pre-decided for almost all members who hold government office. This provides incentive for all citizens to be politically educated and cast their votes.
These values are protected constitutionally, and are also founding principles of the United States. The government is structured in a way that no branch, executive, legislative, or judicial has sole power. In addition to federal government offices, there are also many tiers of local representation. If someone should be seeking government intervention, they can go to a small local branch as opposed to one that is city, state, or nationally wide.
https://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_cnb.html
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-x
32. Pro-business climate (5.0)
The United States was founded on capitalism being its driving economic force. Entrepreneurs have been greatly encouraged since America's founding. Policy makers continue to make reforms to legislation to foster and grow the pro-business climate. Additionally, lower tax rates (relative to other countries around the world) give more incentives for entrepreneurship. Additionally, the United States GDP continues to grow, supporting claims that our country supports business (and therefore job) growth.
https://www.areadevelopment.com/LocationUSA/2018-US-inward-investment-guide/united-states-remains-global-leader-in-business-investment.shtml
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp-growth
33. Government enterprises (4.0)
The United States government has high subsidization rates in funding for private enterprises that continues to rise. In this case, many enterprises in the transportation and agricultural sector (for example) rely on the subsidations to survive.
Almost twenty two million people are employed by the United States government, contributing to a significant portion of the employment rate. Government employment is higher by a ratio 1.8:1 when compared to manufacturing employees.
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/21955000-12329000-government-employees-outnumber-manufacturing
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/11/introduction-to-government-subsidies.asp
https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/782adf3c-65d0-4e3e-a5b9-b3e23d4fd01d/government-spending-and-economic-growth-3-27-95.pdf
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DDEI08USA156NWDB
34. International security agreements (5.0)
The United States has one of the strongest militaries in the world, as well as many International security agreement treaties. According to the United States Office of Management and Budget, fifteen percent of federal spending is used for defense. The United States spends $649 billion on military every year. Its strong military standing compared to other countries puts entrepreneurs in a good position for security.
The United States is also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which serves as a political alliance specifically in regards to security.
https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR700/RR736/RAND_RR736.pdf
35. Protection of domestic enterprises from government mandated costs (2.0)
The United States does not impose high tariffs on international trade exchanges. In addition, it also has high business regulations. This results in production to be more cost effective if it were held in another country with less government mandated costs. Regulatory costs in the United States per employee are higher for small businesses.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/11/government-regulations.asp
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/22/u-s-tariffs-are-among-the-lowest-in-the-world-and-in-the-nations-history/
********************************************************************************************************************
Here is the study by Leo Pederson; it was completed in the Spring of 2023.
POLICY STUDY OF USA LEOPOLDO PEDERSON
RATING SUMMARY - LEOPOLDO PEDERSON
POLICY NUMBER RAW SCORE ADJUSTED SCORE POSSIBLE PERCENTAGE
1 5.0 15.0 15.0 100 %
2 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
3 2.5 7.5 15.0 50
4 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
5 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
6 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
7 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
8 3.5 10.5 15.0 70
9 2.5 5.0 15.0 50
10 4.5 13.5 15.0 90
11 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
12 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
13 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
14 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
15 4.5 9.0 10.0 90
16 2.5 5.0 10.0 50
17 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
18 4.5 9.0 10.0 90
19 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
20 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
21 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
22 1.5 3.0 10.0 30
23 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
24 4.5 9.0 10.0 90
25 2.5 5.0 10.0 50
26 3.5 7.0 10.0 70
27 2.5 5.0 10.0 50
28 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
29 4.0 4.0 5.0 80
30 2.0 2.0 5.0 40
31 5.0 5.0 5.0 100
32 4.5 4.5 5.0 90
33 3.5 3.5 5.0 90
34 4.5 4.5 5.0 90
35 2.5 2.5 5.0 50
TOTAL 127.5 273.5 370.0 74.0%
===== ====== ===== =====
INDIVIDUAL POLICIES - LEOPOLDO PEDERSON
1. Freedom From External Control: (5.0)
Businesses and institutions in the U.S have almost no obligations to outside forces, due both to our military status and highest ranked GDP. This usually allows businesses to do things on their own terms, perhaps for a few exceptions like the 2020 trade wars which was estimated to cost the U.S. 300,000 jobs. Even in terms of war, despite participating unofficially in many conflicts over the past century, the last time we fought on American grounds was in 1890 against Native Americans.
https://storiesofusa.com/history/when-was-the-last-war-on-u-s-soil/
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/08/07/more-pain-than-gain-how-the-us-china-trade-war-hurt-america/
2. Freedom of Speech: (5.0)
As the very first Amendment to be declared in the Constitution, American citizens have the ability to say whatever they please in almost any setting. This is extended out to media, and permits not only politicians to speak freer but additionally allows newspapers and other outlets to criticize or approve things with no penalty. In a similar vein, all ideas on controversial topics are permitted and in turn encourages debate rather than oppression. It is thought that this is one of the necessary conditions for promoting a true democracy, and continues to stay important as news and information evolve.
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt1-7-2-4/ALDE_00013541/
3. Effective, Fair Police Force (2.5)
In terms of a non-corrupt police force that protects businesses, the U.S. does a good job - spending 71 billion in total funding nationwide in 2021. And although political police corruption is at a relative low, especially compared to other countries with corrupt governments, we do have a long way to go in terms of targeting minorities. Black people are heavily more likely to be stopped over and even killed, making up 26% of police related deaths even though substantiating only 12% of the population.
https://policeviolencereport.org/
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/measuring-police-corruption
https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local-backgrounders/criminal-justice-police-corrections-courts-expenditures
4. Private Property: (5.0)
Ever since the founding of the U.S, private property has been enshrined as a fundamental right from within the constitution. In some ways it has even become a cultural value for some groups of the U.S, and was even declared as the fundamental moral principle by John Locke. Additionally, in the United States intellectual property-based work accounts for 38 percent of GDP and substantiates 27.9 million jobs. Through the trifecta of trademarks, patents, and copyrights, we assure that people’s ideas don’t get stolen.
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-5/
https://www.state.gov/intellectual-property-enforcement/
5. Commercial Banks: (4.0)
In August of 2022, the total value of loans from commercial banks was 17.3 Trillion, not even counting the 2.4 trillion set aside for Mortgages. And in 2021, 71.5 percent of households were taking out some kind of loan through card to their bank. Banks play an incredibly important role in the economy, lending out money to create the opportunity for a rapidly growing business cycle, meanwhile helping us spend out of a recession. Unfortunately as we’ve seen in 2008 or the more recent Silicon Valley crash, banks can sometimes get irresponsible, and are subject to occasionally failing.
https://www.statista.com/topics/4406/commercial-banks-in-the-us/#topicOverview
https://www.nytimes.com/article/svb-silicon-valley-bank-explainer.html
6. Communication: (5.0)
If there is any problem with communication in the U.S. today, it would be that there is too much of it. Text, email, and other messaging apps can double both as a productivity tool for businesses and a casual way to connect between friends. Other resources range from TV networks, or Youtube, to the vast amount of mediums such as Excel or Google docs. The world is stuffed to the brim with ways of communicating, and often the more important task in business is to find an unbiased, or effective medium.
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingorganizationalcommunication.aspx
7. Transportation (4.5)
The U.S. has 140,000 miles of railroads carrying 1.6 miles of rail cars, but this is nothing when compared to the vast amount of highways, planes, and ports that all contribute to transportation. All of these not only support businesses with cheap delivery and trade, but also allow citizens to travel and access all parts of a given city. In recent years, a new imperative has been on how to make trains or cars more electric, and therefore with less C02.
https://www.up.com/customers/track-record/tr090820-us-rail-envy-of-the-world.htm
https://www.transportation.gov/
8. Education (3.5)
By 2021, 37.9 percent of U.S. citizens above 24 had a bachelors degree, a number which has starkly risen in the past decade. Additionally, with many top tier universities we attract students from across the world, although that number also seems to be in flux with the economic rise of other countries such as China. And while high school is free in the U.S, the average four year college student will spend 142,000 over the course of their education. This is why I gave this policy a relatively medium score as this enormous cost can act as a disincentive, or leave many in debt for decades afterwards.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/04/12/10-facts-about-todays-college-graduates/
https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college
9. Social Mobility (2.5)
Although much of the American mythos is based on the Gilded Era story of ‘pulling oneself up by their bootstraps’, in reality it can be much harder to move up the social ladder. For example, the parents of upper middle class are likely to spend upwards of seven times more money on extracurriculars or tutors for their children, and mothers with a college degree on average spend 4.5 hours more a week with their children. There are other factors that play into this such as race - For White and Black men who grew up equally wealthy, the black men are doubly likely to end up poor, while the white men are doubly likely to stay wealthy.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/27/upshot/make-your-own-mobility-animation.html
https://www.brookings.edu/research/thirteen-economic-facts-about-social-mobility-and-the-role-of-education/
10. Share of All Jobs in Small Businesses (4.5)
According to the Census Bureau, a small business is defined either by revenue (from one to forty million) or by employee number (100 to 1,500 ). So while only 16 percent of businesses have 1-19 employees, small businesses still take up 99.9 percent of total businesses, successfully employing over half the labor market. This encourages competition, innovation, and overall a local, healthy economy.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/what-is-a-small-business.html#:~:text=It%20defines%20small%20business%20by,of%20%2416.5%20million%20or%20less.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/small-business-statistics/#:~:text=Nearly%20half%20of%20all%20U.S.,even%20have%20employees%20at%20all
11. Freedom From Outside Control: (5.0)
The last time the U.S. was bombed or invaded in a war was at least sixty years ago with Pearl Harbor, which is a testament to our safety and control. With the largest military in the world and a constitution that places a large emphasis on freedom, that has since come to represent one of America’s defining traits.
https://www.statista.com/chart/20418/most-powerful-militaries/
https://www.history.com/news/5-attacks-on-u-s-soil-during-world-war-ii
12. Protection of Domestic Enterprises: (3.0)
In 2022, the U.S. totalled 250.2 billion in exports, lacking in a large margin to the 317.6 billion in imports. This often means that the U.S. is losing the opportunity for local jobs, while we trade with similar industries in other countries. In recent years, we saw the Trump presidency utilizing tariffs with China, starting with a tax on roughly 25% of imported items, then upping it further in years since. For the most part though, this has simply hurt both parties, especially as we need many goods from China, like with electronics. The U.S. also partakes in more minute forms of protectionism, such as with subsidies, or improving trade practices overall.
https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/us-international-trade-goods-and-services-december-and-annual-2022#:~:text=Exports%2C%20Imports%2C%20and%20Balance%20(exhibit%201)&text=For%202022%2C%20the%20goods%20and,%24556.1%20billion%20or%2016.3%20percent.
https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/from-the-trump-to-biden-administration-protectionism-and-trade-enforcement-actions/
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/truth-about-tariffs
13. Foreign Currency Transactions: (5.0)
As previously explained, the vast majority of American trade interactions our businesses perform is in terms of the U.S. dollar, over 75 % in all relevant regions besides Europe. According to the Federal reserve’s overall ranking of a currency’s relevancy in trade, the dollar earns a 75, while the next highest is the Euro at a 24. Overall, this creates a high demand for the dollar and allows businesses to perform foreign transactions easier.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/the-international-role-of-the-u-s-dollar-20211006.html
14. Border Control: (3.0)
The U.S. today houses 40 Million immigrants, which is well over the number in any other country. While dipping to 4.7 percent of our population in the late sixties, it has since risen to a historic high of 16.7 percent. The quality of life for these immigrants is sometimes hard, with only 53 percent being proficient in English, and 3 million being deported during the Obama administration. And although Trump built 650 miles of wall during his presidency, this has done little to prevent the larger problem of U.S. citizen drug dealers (77%) smuggling contraband through ports of entry such as airports.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/20/key-findings-about-u-s-immigrants/
https://www.usatoday.com/border-wall/
https://www.cato.org/blog/77-drug-traffickers-are-us-citizens-not-illegal-immigrants
15. Currency: (4.5)
In 1913, the Federal Reserve Act was passed, instituting a central U.S. bank and fully cementing the dollar as our main currency. All transactions that occur with businesses in the U.S. are in terms of the dollar, which notably has retained a regular and stable rate of inflation. Additionally since the end of World War II, the dollar has been the world’s foremost currency, taking up 60 percent of foreign exchange reserves This also allows the U.S. to borrow money with a low interest rate since the demand is so high, though this advantage may be slipping with the rise of China’s economy. The only reason I removed half a point is the rapidly rising inflation rate, perhaps denoting a degree of instability with our country’s debt crisis.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/dollar-worlds-currency
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/040915/countries-use-us-dollar.asp
https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/the-international-role-of-the-u-s-dollar-20211006.html
https://www.uscurrency.gov/history?period=All
16. Cultural, language homogeneity: (2.5)
Historically named "The Melting Pot of The World”, while simultaneously having a history of prejudice and stark othering, the U.S faces a complex state of defining diversity. We rank a 52.7 percentage on racial diversity, meaning this is the probability that two random citizens will not be of the same ethnic group. Combining this with 75.5% of the populus defining themselves as Christian, this puts us as number sixty-eight on the world diversity ranking. There are between 350 and 430 languages spoken in the United States, and thousands of subcultures.
https://wisevoter.com/country-rankings/most-racially-diverse-countries/#united-states-of-america
https://translatorswithoutborders.org/language-data-for-the-united-states-of-america#:~:text=There%20are%20between%20350%20and,other%20indigenous%20languages%20as%20official.
17. Political effectiveness: (2.0)
Unfortunately, despite America’s breadth of power and resources, we often fail in the degree of speed that things should be accomplished with. For example during Hurricane Katrina, it took four days for president Bush to sign an aid package, five days to approve allowing national guard members from other states to come in, and two days of training before they were able to do anything. Divisions in the house result in horrible inaction for things like immigration through the use of gerrymandering and the filibuster, resulting in policy that gets changed before it has time to make any positive impact from either side. Additionally, when events such as covid occur the U.S can struggle to have a quick and organized response, and often issues like wealth inequality or institutionalized racism go on for far too long.
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/07/07/americans-reflect-on-nations-covid-19-response/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/greg-moore/2022/01/29/filibuster-censure-gerrymandering-voting-rights-too-critical-jargon/9204338002/
https://www.politico.com/story/2012/10/10-facts-about-the-katrina-response-081957#:~:text=Within%20four%20days%20of%20Katrina's,additional%20%2451.8%20billion%20in%20aid.
18. Institutional stability: (4.5)
Since its commencement in 1776, our governmental setup has remained mostly unchanged, and especially in the last century or so few large components to our way of doing things have changed. Though our three main branches remain the same, roles of smaller institutions like the Federal Reserve have moved from being a ‘backup bank’ to actively looking to help increase employment. Another example is the constantly shifting dynamics and policies of NATO.
https://www.mercatus.org/research/state-testimonies/evolution-role-federal-reserve
19. Honest Government: (3.0)
Newsweek ranks the transparency of the U.S as seventeenth out of 78 major countries, and while America is economically stable with a degree of accountability for its politicians, distrust and suspicion of the government have anecdotally increased in recent years. Due to the nature of democracy and yearly elections, distrust in candidates is bound to be a recurring political tool. In an atmosphere of disinformation, “Hillary’s emails” to “Stacked poll machines” gained much more attention than they should have, leading only 9% of Republicans to trust the government’s message (Compared to 29% of democrats). All this being said, the U.S government has rarely been known to lie about social or economic statistics, and for the most part is relatively democratic concerning plans and decisions.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/public-trust-in-government-1958-2022/
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/most-transparent-countries?slide=2
20. Common law (1.5)
The justice system in America is hard to analyze because though it has consistent principles and no outrageous levels of corruption, it definitely has systematic losers and has been held accountable in almost every social movement to date. For example, The Sentencing Project found that black youth are four times as likely to be incarcerated than their white peers, while one in seven people in prison are serving a life sentence. The court has also been utilized by large corporations to shut out competition and investigative journalism.
https://www.sentencingproject.org/research/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk7ugBhDIARIsAGuvgPbIe1aDjlB2d1BvOlx0O94TAaT9TgtU6rN9anPLdCc44TMmZJievSsaAiPqEALw_wcB
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-companies-use-and-abuse-law-for-competitive-gains/
21. Central bank (4.0)
Within the US government is the federal reserve, an independent organization that was first created to help prevent bank runs and sloping into recessions this way. Nowadays, it also controls interest rates, the rate of inflation, and the supply of money in the economy. Run by a 7 member board of governors, one recent question is if the leaders should be elected democratically - it is important that fiscal policy has a breath of space between politics, although meanwhile the federal reserve is one of the most powerful institutions without much public input or attention.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-us-federal-reserve?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6fafBhC1ARIsAIJjL8myehXWqrVbU54_H13pBXB2gnUZf4nZnwbNHHq-ONz5kS86ImDStRQaArqvEALw_wcB
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1989/10/12/democratize-the-fed/0746b0fe-5ca9-4781-905f-24475bbbba0a/
22. Domestic Budget Management (1.5)
One of the most alarming things about America today is the massive budget deficit and level of inflation it is wrapped up with. The US has the highest budget deficit of 31.46 trillion dollars, almost double that of China in second place. This is 5.5 percent of GDP, and in recent years has been affecting the level of inflation to the point of it averaging 4.95% from 2020-2023. Overall, area this receives a 1.5 because a large budget deficit can have a severe negative impact on businesses - governments will be less inclined to invest money, may demand higher tax rates, and overall the need to balance a budget will create an environment of less growth.
https://countryeconomy.com/deficit
htt
ps://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/2020?amount=1
23. Government debt: (2.0)
The current US budget deficit is 31.46 trillion dollars, currently -5.5 percentage of GDP but as high as -15% in 2020. Although, in contrast to popular belief, the US owes the majority of this huge amount back to itself, in the form of social security or investments. Japan is the highest lender from the US, accounting for 1.08 Trillion, but the majority is due to the government spending more than they make from taxes, and has put into question current economic ideas such as Modern Monetary Theory.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/217428/us-budget-balance-and-forecast-as-a-percentage-of-the-gdp/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20budget%20deficit%20amounted,1990%20can%20be%20accessed%20here.
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/national-debt/#:~:text=The%20national%20debt%20(%2431.46,accumulated%20over%20the%20nation's%20history.&text=Updated%20daily%20from%20the%20Debt%20to%20the%20Penny%20dataset.
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/who-owns-the-u-s-national-debt-3306124#:~:text=Many%20people%20believe%20that%20much,most%20of%20the%20national%20debt.
24. Economic statistics (4.5)
If anything, this very project and the sources it cites are a tribute to the vast availability of statistical data published by the US government, ranging from the annual census to price index analysis and many more. Businesses and governments have to make important decisions based on data countrywide and can do so because of this. All this being said, statistics have recently become an increasingly political issue, caught up in the ideological sphere of news bias and government schemes. I only give the US a 4.5 because there’s often a gap in how much people really believe statistics, for example in the 2020 elections where many thought that the numbers were “Rigged”
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys.html
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2022/10/07/democracy-on-the-ballot-how-many-election-deniers-are-on-the-ballot-in-november-and-what-is-their-likelihood-of-success/
25. Protection of public health and safety: (2.5)
Recent years have shown public safety hazards from massive earthquakes to epidemics, and the US is sometimes lacking in their responses. One good way to measure health protection was with the American response to Covid - according to a New York Times study, the US lagged behind and had many more deaths per patient, especially during the Omicron wave, than almost any other developed country. In terms of natural disasters, although we are prone to many like hurricanes and large floods, we have increasingly seen how our infrastructure is not prepared (Take the recent floods in Florida or Texas) and according to a study from Ana Maria College, “80% of [Government] executives believe their agencies could do a better job training and preparing federal workers to seamlessly continue operations during an emergency”.
For healthcare, 2018 saw nearly 92% of the population being insured but this still leaves a large margin out and even with insurance, paying for medical bills can become very very expensive.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/01/science/covid-deaths-united-states.html
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/system-features/how-does-universal-health-coverage-work#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20does%20not,health%20care%20has%20been%20incremental.
https://online.annamaria.edu/mpa/resource/government-not-prepared-for-disaster
26. High Wage Policies: (3.5)
Despite a bill almost being passed this year to raise the national minimum wage to 15.50 dollars, it was denied and instead still lies at 7.25 dollars. This said, several states such as California did change their minimum wage this year, up to double the national requirement. One possible threat of raising wages is that unemployment will go up, although it remains reasonably low at 3.4% nationwide. Considering unions, 10.1% of workers engage in unionizing, but this also tends to make businesses outsource labor to other countries where work is much cheaper. As for a judgment on whether 7.25 is a living wage or not, my opinion would be no. The average rent in America for a one bedroom apartment is over 1,100 dollars as of 2023. That equates to working roughly 35 hours a week just to pay for rent, not even considering food or even a child. In 2021, 38 million people were declared as beneath the poverty line, 11.6 percent of the population.
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
https://www.epi.org/minimum-wage-tracker/#/min_wage/California
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1063502/average-monthly-apartment-rent-usa/
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/poverty-awareness-month.html#:~:text=Official%20Poverty%20Measure,and%20Table%20A%2D1).
27. Environmental Protection: (2.5)
The US utilizes many agencies and policies to combat climate change, an important three of them being the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act. All this being said, the US is a huge contributor to Global Warming on a yearly basis, and is ranked a lowly 52nd with the CCPI index. As the Washington Post points out “Over the past 50 years, the U.S. has warmed 68 percent faster than the planet as a whole,” and has worsened the condition of plastic in the ocean, a rising global temperature, and much more. There’s also the question as to whether we actually follow through with all the acts we put in place, and though the US has much room for improvement I personally think that we are on the right track, with it continually moving up in importance both in the cultural and political spheres.
https://content.next.westlaw.com/0-503-4622?__lrTS=20210205132930881&transitionType=Default&contextData=%28sc.Default%29
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/07/cop27-climate-change-report-us/
https://ccpi.org/country/usa/
28. Strong Army: (5.0)
Most likely the largest military to have ever existed, 2022 saw 1.3 million active military personnel, and the expected budget for the coming year 2023 is 773 billion. This has helped amount to the U.S. winning both world wars, but also participating in many where their presence was questionable. The military has also developed many pieces of technology that have become integrated into the economy, from GPS tracking to duct tape.
https://usafacts.org/state-of-the-union/defense/
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2980014/the-department-of-defense-releases-the-presidents-fiscal-year-2023-defense-budg/
29. Foreign Trade Impact: (4.0)
Adding up the total imports and exports of the past year we get 591.4 Billion (256.6+334.8), Which totals to a ratio of 25.48% for total GDP. The US has free trade agreements with 20 countries, which helps small businesses (as well as the larger ones) interact with other countries who can mutually benefit. The US usually deals mostly in trade with gas, petroleum, and surprisingly aircraft vehicles.
https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/us-international-trade-goods-and-services-october-2022#:~:text=Exports%2C%20Imports%2C%20and%20Balance%20(exhibit%201)&text=Year%2Dto%2Ddate%2C%20the,%24552.2%20billion%20or%2019.8%20percent.
https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements
https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/us-international-trade-goods-and-services-october-2022
30. Management of Foreign Currency Budget (2.0)
In 2021, the US totaled 3,387 billion in trade imports while only exporting 2,528 billion, resulting in a large deficit. In 2022, the trade deficit widened even further to 948.1 Billion. This creates a lower level of financial independence by relying on other manufacturing countries such as China or India, while simultaneously lowering job opportunities.
https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/us-international-trade-goods-and-services-december-and-annual-2022#:~:text=For%202022%2C%20the%20goods%20and%20services%20deficit%20was%20%24948.1%20billion,up%20%24453.1%20billion%20from%202021.
https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/us-international-trade-goods-and-services-december-2021#:~:text=For%202021%2C%20the%20goods%20and%20services%20deficit%20was%20%24859.1%20billion,up%20%24576.5%20billion%20from%202020.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/democracy-countries
31. Layers of Collective action (5.0)
Despite some recent conspiracy theories in our most recent election, the U.S is one of the most intact democracies working today. Government is broken into three categories - executive, legislative, and judicial which transpires both nationwide and statewide. Since 1879, the US has been functioning under the same constitution that everyone is (pretty much) held equally responsible to. I give it a five because as to date, a healthy capitalist democracy is probably the most viable option for quick economic growth.
https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/democracy-countries
32. Pro-business Climate: (4.5)
For the attitude surrounding business, small businesses are highly cherished within the mythos of an American neighborhood community, and since our lives are filled with a high volume of various products, we often develop excitement and attachment to various brands and labels. According to the Chamber of Commerce, 18% of small businesses fail within their first year, as do 65% by their tenth. Though this isn’t the only metric to measure a pro business climate, for example the Heritage Foundation ranks the United States as 24th in the world in terms of economic freedom for businesses, and although there may be some questions about leading businesses snuffing out competition (for example Amazon becoming a monopsony) we have a good set of laws trying to lower the threshold of starting a business, as well as keeping a good degree of competition. Though overall, the startup attitude in America is alive and appreciated.
.https://www.chamberofcommerce.org/small-business-statistics/
https://www.heritage.org/index/ranking
33. Government Enterprises: (3.5)
In 2020, 3.7 trillion tax dollars were collected by the federal government and a very large portion of that money went into many of the government funded projects that exist in America. Some of the most well known are The Bank of Imports and Exports, Tennessee Valley Corporation, and UNICOR, or the Federal Prison Industry. Currently 20.2 million are employed in the public sector which equates to about 14.5% of the workforce. In terms of the legislative side of things, the government manages the military, the legal system, and several economic bodies such as the federal bank. Despite widespread frustration with the government, it achieves many things that the economy could not function without.
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2021/11/15/14-big-businesses-run-by-the-us-government/2/
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781403920171_5#:~:text=Abstract,14.5%20percent%20of%20the%20workforce.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/
34. International security agreements: (4.5)
The U.S. is one of the most secure countries, whether considering its peace treaties, or yearly military budget. Linked below is a pdf on the federal website that has 570 pages of active security agreements, including NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And within its subcomponents the Department of Defense receives around 1.01 trillion dollars per year. All this being said, the US has been known to play a major role in almost every world-spanning war in the last few centuries, and anecdotally various fears of stark national conflict occur yearly. In addition, there is a large degree of internal conflict whether it takes the form of violent protests, storming the capital, or just general political uneasiness. This receives a high grade due to the safety an expansive army can grant to the country, citizens, businesses, but does not necessarily put an end to ongoing conflicts.
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TIF-2020-Full-website-view.pdf
https://www.usaspending.gov/agency/department-of-defense?fy=2023
35. Protection of domestic enterprises from government mandated costs: (2.5)
For many corporate bodies, especially small businesses, government mandated costs play a large burden whether it takes the form of localized regulations, forced employee benefits, or most importantly heavy taxes. The corporate tax rate right now is 21%, costing billions to businesses nationwide and is an especially heavy burden coming out from Covid and into a recession. The upside of course is that employees continue to benefit from these mandated regulations, as well as the environment. I’m giving it a neutral score because although the government can pose a heavy financial burden, many businesses are successful thanks to our expansive market and enjoy aspects such as safety and legal protection from the government.
https://executivegov.com/articles/5-examples-of-government-regulation-of-businesses/#:~:text=Government%20business%20regulations%20are%20federal,you%20own%20a%20construction%20company.
https://taxfoundation.org/combined-federal-state-corporate-tax-rates-2022/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamdunkelberg/2021/10/06/impact-of-taxes-on-small-business/?sh=4cdb1cac3250
************************************************************************************************* *************************************************************************************************
DISCLAIMER
All the information and conclusions in each country analysis are solely the responsibility of the individual student and have not been verified, corrected, checked for copyright infringement or evaluated in any way by MIEPA or Mike P. McKeever. You are solely responsible for the results of any use you make of the information and conclusions in these studies. Use them at your own risk as interesting supplemental information only instead of seasoned judgements about the policy factors contained herein. Each student has granted permission for his or her work to be displayed here under his or her own name or wishes to remain anonymous and have either created a pen name or used no name at all; if you wish to contact them for any reason, forward your request to MIEPA and the student will be notified of your interest.To learn more about other countries, click to other files here:
mckeever.mp@gmail.com
Please place the acronym MIEPA in the subject line.