THE EVOLUTION OF SERVICE ECONOMIES: A GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVE¹

1Acknowledgement is made to Stanley Waterman for his programming efforts, and to Kenneth E. Corey, Ronald Abler and the editor for helpful comments and suggestions.

Of the several classifications of services, each emphasizes different characteristics. The International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) is used for a comparative study on the transformation into service economies of the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, West Germany, Italy and Japan. Service economies are defined as national economies in which employment in services surpassed that in manufacturing. The pace of the evolution of service economies has been rapid with North America leading, followed in order by Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and West Germany. Service economies have important implications for urban growth, intercity competition, and international trade.

Key Words:

• tertiary
• quaternary and quinary sectors
• postindustrial society
• services classification and specialization

Notes

1Acknowledgement is made to Stanley Waterman for his programming efforts, and to Kenneth E. Corey, Ronald Abler and the editor for helpful comments and suggestions.