The Illustrated Guide to the American Economy is aimed at those seeking to make sense of economic news or - more important - to place it in a broader context. The book consists of straightforward, objective statements about the United States, each one explained in a page of text accompanied by a page of bold, four-colour charts. Too often we lack the basic facts we need to understand and judge what we learn about the US economy. Listening to TV or reading newspapers raises questions such as: how rich is the American economy compared with other times and other countries? And what is happening to the relative earnings of women or blacks compared with white males? How heavy are American tax burdens today compared with earliers times and other countries? This revised third edition brings the information up to date and expands the treatment of many subjects, including total returns to capital; how education affects labour force participation; changing trends in banking concentration; how deregulation has affected market shares and long-distance telephone rates; and changes in how the consumer price index is being calculated.