Assessing the Decline in the National Saving Rate

摘要

The nation's rate of saving declined in the 1980s and the trend has persistedinto the 1990s. Large federal deficits and declining levels of private saving were the principle causes, and the result has raised serious questions about the outlook for the nation's future standard of living. In response to a request from the Senate Committee on the Budget, the study looks into the issue of national saving, clarifying how it should be measured and what sectors are most responsible for the decline.