Literature on growth accounting has generally introduced productivity to explain the growth of services. One of the most conventional statements in economics, with regard to the services sector suggests that, as a whole, this sector has a lower productivity level than the other productive...

One of the most outstanding debates in the international economic circles is the one on productivity and related issues. Low productivity growth in most advanced countries has historically been related to structural changes and, more precisely, to the performance and weight of service industries...

The service sector plays a key role determining long-term productivity growth rates and living standards due to the increasing share of services both in production and employment within developed economies. Secondly, it can impact the whole economy through its capacity to affect a country’s...

The emergence of service offshoring places competitiveness at the centre of the discussion on international trade. The role of cost related factors driving trade performances is debated. However, although services trade becomes more dynamic, service competitiveness factors remain a field largely...