Summary: Debates about U.S. policy on everything from trade to education have increasingly focused on the ability of American producers to compete successfully in global markets. High-technology products have received considerable attention because their strong performance has been linked to increases in overall economic performance and growth. This report assesses U.S. competitiveness in high-technology areas, considering, in particular, trends in U.S. performance over the last decade and comparisons with Japan. GAO considers several basic questions. First, what is the significance of high-technology performance and how well can it be measured? Second, what do measures of overall U.S. performance in high-technology areas suggest? And third, for 11 industries--pharmaceuticals, civilian aircraft, telecommunications equipment, fiber optics, semiconductors, semiconductor equipment and materials, robotics, flexible manufacturing systems, supercomputers, advanced materials, and consumer electronics--what has been the relative performance of U.S. producers and U.S. research efforts during the past decade?
