Government at a Glance 2015

Country Fact Sheetwww.oecd.org/gov/govataglance.htm

The fiscal situation has improved markedlyalthough the underlying fiscal position is not yet sustainable and debt remains high

In 2013, the fiscal deficit represented 5.6% of GDP in the United States which is higher than the OECD av-erage fiscal deficit (2.8%). The cyclically adjusted fiscal deficit decreased considerably moving from 10.3% of potential GDP in 2009 to 4.2% of potential GDP in 2014. This structural deficit is expected to further decline in the United States in 2015 and 2016 although remaining above the OECD average structural deficit (2.5%). According to the System of National Accounts definition, the general government gross debt (103% - excluding unfunded pension liabilities) is high but slightly below the OECD average (109%).

Chapter 2: Public finance and economics

General government fiscal balance as a percentage of GDPGeneral government structural balance as a percentage of potential GDPGeneral government projected structural balance as a percentage of potential GDPGeneral government gross debt as a percentage of GDP

The United States scores well in transparency effortsas measured by disclosure of private interests and release of government data

Disclosure of private interests of public officials can be an effective tool, alongside other mechanisms, in managing conflict of interest. Levels of disclosure and public availability of private interests in the United States are above OECD averages for all three branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial) as well as for at risk areas such as tax and customs officials, procurement agents and financial authorities. The U.S. is also among the top OECD countries in this year’s OURdata Index which measures the level of availability and accessibility of data on the national open data portal as well as the level of government sup-port to the reuse of public data.

Chapter 7: Public Sector Integrity

Level of Disclosure and public availability of private interests across branches of government

Chapter 10: Digital government

OURdata Index: Open, Useful, Reusable government data

The income gap between the richest and the poorest has increased morein the United States during the global crisis than in other OECD countries on average

Between 2007 and 2011, the disposable income (after government taxes and transfers) of the people in the top income decile (richest) increased by 0.9% in the United States whereas it decreased by 1.3% for the people in the bottom income decile (poorest). The disposable income gap between the top 10% and bottom 10% has also increased in OECD countries but less than in the United-States.

Chapter 11: Core government results

Annual percentage changes in household disposable income between 2007 and 2011

United States

Government revenues(2013)

Government expenditures(2013)

Government gross debt *(2013, 2014)

% of GDP % of GDP % of GDP

Source: OECD National Accounts Source: OECD National Accounts Source: OECD National Accounts

G@G /dataG@G /data

-15% -10% 0%-5% +5% +10% +15%-5.6%

United States

-4.2%

Fiscal balance *(2013)% of GDP

Public investment(2013)

% of of total govt. expenditures

How to read the figures:

U.S.

Country value in blue (not represented if not available)

Average of OECD countries in green

Range of OECD country values in grey

Public Finance & Economics Public Employment & Compensation

Public Finance and Economics

GOVERNMENT INPUTS: FINANCIAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES

29.3%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

26.1%United States

20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

41.9%38.7%

United States

7.8%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

8.7%

United States

102.7%

2013

103.2% 100%

0%2014

109.3%100%

0% 2013

0% 50% 100% 150% 200% 250%

United States

Source: OECD National Accounts. * See Notes

Values have been rounded. n.a. refers to

data not available

Source: OECD National Accounts* SNA definition, see Notes

Public Employment and Compensation

G@G /data

58.0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

n.a.United States

Public sector employment filled by women (2013)

Source: International Labour Organization (database)

Share of women ministers(2015)

Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union Parline Database

Public sector employmentas % of total employment (2013)

Source: International Labour Organization (database)

21.3%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

n.a.United States

20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

37.7%33.1%

United States

GOVERNMENT PROCESSES

Institutions Regulatory Governance Public Procurement Public Sector Integrity Digital Government

Digital Gov.

High Moderate Low

30%59%11%

ModerateUnited States

G@G /data

Level ofinfluence of the

Centre of Governmentover line ministries

(2013)

Institutions

Source: OECD 2013 Survey on Centre of Government

Women in Government

Primary lawsSubordinateregulations

Stakeholder engagement to inform o�cials about the problem and

possible solutions

Primary lawsSubordinateregulations

Consultation on draft regulations or proposed rules

Not applicable

53%18%24%5%0%

68%6%

18%6%2%

6%9%

62%23%0%

3%15%65%15%2%

For all subordinate regulations

Not applicable

For all primary laws /subordinate regulations

For major primary laws /subordinate regulations

For some primary laws /subordinate regulations

NeverNotapplicable

For some subordinate regulationsUnited States

G@G /data

Source: OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook (forthcoming)

Stakeholder engagement and consultation (2014)

Regulatory Governance

Strategic public procurement - Objectives(2014)

G@G /data

Public Procurement

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

29.0%

50%

26.1%

United States

Source: OECD National Accounts

Procurement expenditure(2013)

% of government expenditures

Source: 2014 OECD Survey on Public Procurement

Public Sector Integrity

2632

64

44

Judicial Branch “At risk” areasLegislative

BranchExecutive Branch

Low level

Medium level

High level

29

67

100

60

United StatesUnited StatesUnited StatesUnited States

Level of disclosure of private interestsacross branches of government

(2014)

Source: 2014 OECD Survey on Managing Conflict of Interest in the Executive Branch and Whistleblower Protection

0.58

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

0.67United States

OURdata Index:Open, Useful, ReusableGovernment Data (2014)

Composite indexfrom 0 lowest to 1 highest

Source: 2014 OECD Survey on Open Government Data

Support for greenpublic procurement

A strategy / policy has been developed by some procuring entities

A strategy / policy has been developed at a central level

Support forSMEs

Support for innovativegoods and services

13 26 1

A strategy / policy has been rescinded

A strategy / policy has never been developed

2 10 25 0 3 10 23 0 3

United States

GOVERNMENT OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Notes Fiscal balance as reported in the System of National Accounts (SNA) framework, also referred to as net lending (+) or net borrowing (-) of government, is calculated as total government revenues minus total government expenditures. Structural fiscal balance, or underlying balance, represents the fiscal balance adjusted for the state of the economic cycle (as measured by the output gap which resulted as the dif ference between actual and potential GDP) and one-off fiscal operations. Government gross debt is reported according to the SNA definition, which dif fers from the definition applied under the Maastricht Treaty. It is defined as all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future. All debt instruments are liabilities, but some liabilities such as shares, equity and financial derivatives are not debt. Government gross debt for the United States is reported on an adjusted basis (i.e. excluding unfunded pension liabilities).

Core Government Results and Service Delivery

Out of pocket expenditure as a % of final household consumption Access to healthcare (2012)

Source: OECD Health Statistics 2014

Satisfaction and confidence across public services (2014)

71%

Judicial system

Education system

77%

20

40

60

80

100

Health care

67%68%

54%59%

National government42%35%

United States

Average

Range

Source: Gallup World Poll

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

United StatesTop10%

-1.3%

Bottom10%

0.9%

Top10%

Bottom10%

-1.6% -0.8%

Changes in household disposable income,by income group (2007-2011)

Source: OECD Income Distribution Database

Limited government powers(2014)

United States0.76

0.76

[0.37-0.92]

Source: The World Justice Project

Equity in learning outcomes (2012)PISA mathematics score variance by socio economic background

14.8%

5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

14.8%United States

Source: OECD, PISA 2012 results: Excellence through equity, 2013

% of citizens expressing confidence/satisfaction

Government at a Glance 2015With a focus on public administration, OECD Government at a Glance 2015 provides readers with a dashboard of key indicators assembled with the

goal of contributing to the analysis and international comparison of public sector performance across OECD countries. Indicators on public finances

and employment are provided alongside composite indexes summarising aspects of public management policies, and indicators on services to

citizens in health care, education, and justice. Government at a Glance 2015 also includes indicators on key governance and public management

issues, such as regulatory management, budgeting practices and procedures, public sector integrity, public procurement and core government

results in terms of trust in institutions, income redistribution and efficiency and cost-effectiveness of governments.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/gov_glance-2015-en

The Excel spreadsheets used to create the tables and figures in Government at a Glance 2015 are available via the StatLinks provided throughout the publication:

For more information on the data (including full methodology and figure notes)and to consult all other Country Fact Sheets: www.oecd.org/gov/govataglance.htm

2.8%

0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5%

3.0%United States