As the American economy continues to sputter three years after the global financial crisis erupted, one thing has become clear: The United States cannot generate higher rates of growth in gross domestic product and employment without a change in the mix of the economy's domestic and export-oriented components.
Above all, this will require structural change and greater competitiveness in an expanded tradable sector.
For more than a decade prior to the crisis that began in 2008, the U.S. economy fueled itself (and much of the global economy) with excessive consumption. Savings in the household sector declined and leveled off at about zero, as low interest rates led to over-leveraging, an asset bubble and an illusory increase in wealth.