American leadership in the world is built on the foundation of its economic strength. Yet the United States faces enormous economic competition abroad and threats to its economy at home. In How America Stacks Up: Economic Competitiveness and U.S. Policy, Edward Alden, Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and director of the Renewing America initiative, and Rebecca Strauss, associate director of Renewing America, focus on those areas of economic policy that are the most important for reinforcing America’s competitive strengths. Covering education, transportation, trade and investment, corporate tax, worker retraining, regulation, debt and deficits, and innovation, How America Stacks Up shows how, in a highly competitive global economy, these seemingly domestic issues are all crucial to U.S. success in the global economy. The line between domestic economic policy and foreign economic policy is now almost invisible, and getting these policies right matters for more than just U.S. living standards. The United States’ ability to influence world events rests on a robust, competitive economy. But without further investment in education, infrastructure, and innovation, Alden and Strauss show, the United States runs the risk of endangering its greatest competitive advantage. Through insightful analysis and engaging graphics, How America Stacks Up outlines the challenges faced by the United States and prescribes solutions that will ensure a healthy, competitive U.S. economy for years to come.

A renowned historian and engineer explores the past, present, and future of America's crumbling infrastructure. Acclaimed engineer and historian Henry Petroski explores our core infrastructure from both historical and contemporary perspectives, explaining how essential their maintenance is to America's economic health. Petroski reveals the genesis of the many parts of America's highway system--our interstate numbering system, the centerline that divides roads, and such taken-for-granted objects as guardrails, stop signs, and traffic lights--all crucial to our national and local infrastructure. A compelling work of history, The Road Taken is also an urgent clarion call aimed at American citizens, politicians, and anyone with a vested interest in our economic well-being. Physical infrastructure in the United States is crumbling, and Petroski reveals the complex and challenging interplay between government and industry inherent in major infrastructure improvement. The road we take in the next decade toward rebuilding our aging infrastructure will in large part determine our future national prosperity.