{
  "id": "RL30668",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30668",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101984,
      "date": "2000-09-05",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:33:52.700941",
      "title": "Economic Indicators: Country Comparisons",
      "summary": "Policymaking in this time of globalization often requires information about the economic output\nof\nvarious countries, how those countries' economies compare with one another, and where the United\nStates stands relative to the rest of the world. This report provides a summary of output measures,\nexplaining their strengths and weaknesses, and various cross-country comparisons. It does not delve\ninto any of several other measures of economic performance that also may be of use depending on\nthe focus of a particular line of inquiry.\n  Although perhaps seemingly straight forward, comparing the economic output of national\neconomies can be complicated for several reasons. First, there are different indicators to choose\nfrom when contrasting national economies. These include gross national product (GNP), per capita\nGNP, purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita GNP, and (for contrasting purposes) the human\ndevelopment index (HDI). Each measure has relative strengths and weaknesses and no one measure\nprovides a complete picture for comparative purposes.\n  Second, while all country data originate from national governments, comparing them raises\nnumerous problems. The World Bank is a primary source for cross-country economic (and social)\ndata and is the source of data comparison used in this report--with the exception of one table\nconstructed from United Nations data. As a single comprehensive source, the World Bank has many\nadvantages: standardization, reliability, and completeness. Perhaps most importantly, using a single\nconsistent source when comparing national economies reduces the possibility of distortion from\nvarying data collection and report methods that can occur when multiple sources are being used.\n  According to these measures, the United States ranks first in total gross national product (GNP),\ntenth in per capita GNP, fourth in per capita GNP adjusted for purchasing power, and third using a\nbroader indicator of economic and social well being.\n  After discussing the merits of various output measures, this report provides a detailed\ncomparison of economic output among the world's economies, including tables summarizing GNP,\nper capita GNP, PPP GNP, and HDI, along with comparisons of selected countries by each category. \nThis report concludes with a list of sources and appendix of acronyms and abbreviations.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30668",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economic Policy",
    "Foreign Affairs"
  ]
}