International Restraints to Competitiveness of the U.S. Heavy Electrical Equipment Industry

The heavy electrical equipment industry consists of a few large multinational manufacturers that dominate their home markets and compete for the remaining world markets. Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the worldwide competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers of heavy electrical equipment, focusing on: (1) buy-national practices of the United States and selected foreign governments to restrain access to domestic markets; (2) noncompetitive practices, such as the use of subsidies, to promote exports; and (3) concerns of U.S. firms about other barriers attributable to U.S. statutes and regulations.