The challenges of this century — The evolution of the U.S. economy — What the U.S. economy produces — Competition and the American culture — Geography and infrastructure — Government and the economy — A U.S. economy linked to the world — a new chapter in America’s economic story.;Reviews current problems and the history of economic conditions in the United States. This edition updates the 2009 revision by Peter Behr, a former business editor and reporter for the Washington Post. Previous editions of this title were published by the U.S. Information Agency beginning in 1981 and by the U.S. State Department since 1999.