The Growth of Service Industries: The Paradox of Exploding Costs and Persistent Demand - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1840644222 ISBN 13: 9781840644227

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2001

Synopsis

Problems arise if budgets for services are held constant whilst prices rise. Education, cultural activities and health services are under constant budgetary pressure. The authors argue that the price of commodities is linked to demand and price increases would therefore seem to threaten the very existence of these services. The paradox of these services is that in spite of their exploding costs, demand persists.

Policymakers struggle with the problematic question of whether to limit public service budgets as costs for their provision rise. The service sectors of advanced economies are surprisingly vigorous - the employment of an ever increasing share of the labour force is one phenomenon. Economists are perplexed by the interplay of slow service and fast goods productivity growth and wonder why the demand for services is so persistent.

The Growth of Service Industries is intended for use by both policymakers and economists and serves as a useful introduction to service productivity analysis.

About this title

About the Author

Edited by Thijs ten Raa, Utrecht University, the Netherlands and Ronald Schettkat, Professor of Economics (em.), Schumpeter School of Economics, University of Wuppertal, Germany

Edition details

• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1840644222
• ISBN 13: 9781840644227
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Ten Raa Thijs, Schettkat Ronald