Does integration of services differ from integration of goods?

Peter M. Smith

The Service Industries Journal, 2015, vol. 35, issue 4, 217-235

Abstract: The theory of economic integration has been well developed over time but mainly with regard to goods. Conceptually integration for services needs to be differentiated from goods according to the characteristics of services and the nature of barriers to integration. The need for personal interaction between supplier and user gives rise to different ways in which services are traded from goods with suppliers and users crossing borders and a different balance between cross-border trade and permanent presence. Obstacles to trade take place behind rather than at the border. The European Union has been chosen as an example of integration for services both on the basis of past experience and because of its ability to remove obstacles for services using specific institutional powers. Existing levels of integration for goods and services are compared with those to be expected on the basis of theory. Market integration for manufactured goods is lower than previously estimated and services higher, although services remain considerably less integrated. Finally, explanations for differing levels of integration both compared to goods and those expected among different services are sought in terms of the barriers to cross-border trade and permanent presence in the form of regulation, market structures and cultural factors.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1080/02642069.2014.990001

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The Service Industries Journal is currently edited by Eileen Bridges, Professor Domingo Ribeiro, Ronald Goldsmith, Barry Howcroft and Youjae Yi

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