Service Industries in the World Economy

This text examines some of the explanations for the expanding role of services in the world economy with particular reference to their tradeability and the characteristics of world trade. It is suggested that the resulting patterns are particularly significant for the form and function of the global urban system and that there are also some significant consequences for the form and structure of the major cities that have been the key participants in the globalization of services. The book concludes by reflecting on the future role of services in the world economy: can the trends evident for the 1980s be assumed to shape the evolving geography of services during the 1990s and beyond?.