NAM document outlines plan for U.S. economic growth

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Washington, D.C., has published a plan to revive the economy and put Americans back to work. Called A Manufacturing Renaissance: Four Goals for Economic Growth, the document is based on NAM's Manufacturing Strategy and features the policies needed to increase investment in the U.S. economy, boost trade, strengthen the workforce, and drive innovation.

The plan sets out four key goals to guide policymakers:

1. The U.S. will be the best place in the world to manufacture and attract foreign direct investment.
2. The U.S. will expand access to global markets to enable manufacturers to reach the 95 percent of consumers who live outside its borders.
3. Manufacturers in the U.S. will have the workforce that the 21st-century economy requires.
4. Manufacturers in the U.S. will be the world's leading innovators.

According to NAM, it is 20 percent more expensive to manufacture in the U.S. today than it is in other major industrial nations, so the U.S. must aggressively pursue a competitiveness agenda.

The document is available for viewing and downloading at www.nam.org.