national income accounting Set of principles and methods used to measure a country’s income and production. There are two ways of mea¬ suring national economic activity: the expenditure approach, which mea¬ sures the money value of the total output of goods and services in a given period (usually a year); and the income approach, which measures the total income derived from economic activity after allowing for capital consumption. The most commonly used indicator of national output is the gross domestic product (GDP). National income may be derived from gross national product (GNP) by making allowances for certain non-income costs included in the GNP, such as indirect taxes, subsidies, and deprecia¬ tion. National income thus calculated represents the aggregate income of the owners of the factors of production; it is the sum of wages, salaries, profits, interest, dividends, rent, and so on. The data accumulated for cal¬ culating the GDP and national income may be manipulated in various ways to show various relationships in the economy. Common uses of the data include breakdowns of GDP according to type of product, break¬ downs of national income by type of income, and analyses of the sources of financing (e.g., personal savings, company funds, or national deficits).
National Institutes of Health (NIH) U.S. government agency that conducts or supports biomedical research. It is made up of numerous spe¬ cialized institutes (e.g.. National Cancer Institute; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute on Aging; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and National Institute of Mental Health). Part of the Department of Health and Human Services, it also trains health researchers; disseminates information; and maintains other offices and divisions, the National Library of Medicine (the foremost source of medical information in the U.S.), and several research centres.
National Labor Relations Act See Wagner Act
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) U.S. government agency charged with administering the National Labor Relations Act (1935). The three-member NLRB, appointed by the president, organizes elections to determine whether employees wish to be represented by a labour union in COLLECTIVE bargaining and monitors labour practices by employers and unions. It does not initiate investigations; its involvement must be sought by employers, individuals, or unions. Though it lacks enforcement power for its orders, it can prosecute cases in court.
National League (NL) Oldest existing U.S. major-league profes¬ sional baseball organization. The league was founded in 1876. Its supremacy was challenged by several rival organizations over the years, of which only the American League has survived; beginning in 1903, the champions of the two leagues have engaged in an annual World Series competition. Today the National League consists of 16 teams aligned in three divisions. In the Eastern Division are the Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins (Miami), New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington (D.C.) Nationals. In the Central Division are the Chicago Cubs, Cincin-
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National Liberal Party ► National Socialism I 1333
nati Reds, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals. In the Western Division are the Arizona Diamond- backs (Phoenix), Colorado Rockies (Denver), Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants.
National Liberal Party German Nationalliberale Partei
Political party that was active first in Prussia and the North German Con¬ federation from 1867, then in Germany in 1871-1918. From 1871 until 1879 the National Liberals, under the leadership of Rudolf von Bennig- sen and Johannes von Miquel, enthusiastically supported Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in the Reichstag (parliament) and constituted a virtual gov¬ ernment party, winning more seats than any other party. After losing many seats in the election of 1879, the party split over the issue of giving the Reichstag control over revenues. It formed a coalition with the Conser¬ vatives in 1890, but its influence waned thereafter.
National Liberation Front Title used by nationalist, usually social¬ ist, movements in various countries since World War II. In Greece, the National Liberation Front-National Popular Liberation Army was a communist-sponsored resistance group that operated in occupied Greece during the war. In Vietnam, the National Front for the Liberation of the South was formed in 1960 to overthrow the South Vietnamese govern¬ ment (see Viet Minh). In Algeria, the National Liberation Front, successor to the body that directed Algeria’s war of independence (1954-62), was the only constitutionally legal party from 1962 to 1989. In Uruguay, the leftist guerrilla Tupamaro National Liberation Front (1963) battled police and the army from 1967 to 1972; it later became a legal political party. In the Philippines, the Moro National Liberation Front (1968) espoused separatism for the Moros; during the last three decades of the 20th cen¬ tury, its insurgency resulted in about 100,000 deaths. The Corsican National Liberation Front (1976), the largest and most violent Corsican nationalist movement, remained active into the 21st century. See also Sandinistas.
national monument In the U.S., any of numerous areas reserved by the federal government for the protection of objects or places of histori¬ cal, scientific, or prehistoric interest. They include natural physical fea¬ tures, remains of Indian cultures, and places of historical importance. In 1906 Pres. Theodore Roosevelt established the first national monument, Devils Tower, in Wyoming. They are administered by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
National Organization for Women (NOW) U.S. women’s rights organization. It was founded in 1966 by Betty Friedan to promote equal rights for women, particularly in the area of employment. With some 500,000 members (both women and men) and 550 chapters, it addresses, through lobbying and litigation, issues such as child care, pregnancy leave, and abortion and pension rights. In the 1970s its major concern was passage of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, though the amendment failed in 1982. NOW has been more successful at the state level, where it has lobbied for state equal rights amendments and comparable-worth (equal pay for equal work) legislation.
national park Area set aside by a national government for the pres¬ ervation of its natural environment. Most national parks are kept in their natural state. Those in the U.S. and Canada emphasize land and wildlife preservation, those in Britain focus mainly on the land, and those in Afri¬ can nations focus primarily on animals. The world’s first national park, Yellowstone, was established in the U.S. by Pres. Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. Canada’s first national park, Banff, was established in 1885. Japan and Mexico established their first national parks in the 1930s; Britain’s national parks date to 1949. The U.S. National Park Service, established in 1916, now also manages national monuments, preserves, recreation areas, and seashores, as well as lakeshores, historic sites, parkways, sce¬ nic trails, and battlefields. See also national forest.
National Party in full National Party of South Africa South African political party that ruled the country in 1948-94. Its following included most Afrikaners and many English-speaking whites. It was founded in 1914 by J.B.M. Hertzog as the National Party of South Africa and sought to rally Afrikaners against the Anglicizing policies of the gov¬ ernment of Louis Botha and Jan Smuts. After winning the 1948 elections, the party enacted a mass of racial legislation, a policy that the party named apartheid. In 1961 it severed ties with the Commonwealth and made South Africa a republic. In the 1990s, under F.W. de Klerk of the National Party, the government began to repeal racially discriminatory laws. The National Party was defeated in South Africa’s first universal elections in 1994 but