Growth, employment and productivity in the services sector

Abstract

This thesis analyses the origins and the implications of the services sector's development, including a case study on Switzerland. In the first part, we study the definitions and classifications of service activities, as well as the post- and neo-industrial theses on the origins of the strong expansion of services in developed countries over the last decades. The second part analyses the implications for economic growth, employment and productivity growth of the services sector's development. Starting from a discussion of Baumol's unbalanced growth model, we discuss the variety of productivity measurements and the multiple causalities behind what is known as the 'productivity paradox'. Finally, the third part is a case study of the services sector's expansion in Switzerland from 1960 until today. Among our main results, we find that the rise of the services sector cannot be held for responsible of the slowdown in economic growth and in productivity growth that occurred in the middle of the 1970's.

Cette thse analyse les origines et les enjeux du dëveloppement des services, avec une application au cas suisse. Dans une premire partie sont ëtudiës les dëfinitions et classements des activitës de service, ainsi que les thses post- et nëo-industrielles visant  expliquer les origines de la forte expansion des services au sein des ëconomies avancëes au cours des dernires dëcennies. La seconde partie analyse les enjeux en matire de croissance ëconomique, d'emploi et de productivitë du dëveloppement du secteur tertiaire. En partant du modle de croissance dësëquilibrëe de Baumol, nous discutons de la diversitë des mesures de la productivitë et des multiples causalitës sous-jacentes au cëlbre 'paradoxe de la productivitë'. Enfin, la troisime partie ëtudie le dëveloppement du secteur tertiaire en Suisse depuis 1960 jusqu' nos jours. Parmi nos principaux rësultats, nous constatons que l'expansion des services ne peut pas tre tenu pour responsable du changement de rëgime en matire de croissance ëconomique et de progression de la productivitë survenu au milieu des annëes septante.