Amid growing signs of a slowdown in the U.S. economy, the whole world is closely awaiting the new policies of President-elect George W. Bush, who prevailed in one of the closest presidential races in U.S. history after more than a month of unprecedented legal wrangling.
Bush will launch his administration later this month backed by a slim Republican majority in Congress, but it is not yet clear how his "compassionate conservatism" slogan will translate into specific policy measures.
The main difference between the economic policies of the Bush and Gore campaigns was their proposals on how to use the fiscal surplus of the federal government.