Why services for society

Why services for society?

• Economic growth is related to services: growth from services is a fact both in developed and developing economies.
• The old myths of services as non-innovative, non-tradeable and non-productive activities are no longer true for a significant part of services economies.
• The competitiveness of primary and secondary sectors (agriculture and industry) depends on services
• Knowledge-intensive business services facilitate evolution towards innovation and economic diversification.
• Private and public services are essential to generate growth, welfare and poverty reduction.
• An ageing society needs the provision of specific services to guarantee quality of life.
• Services are needed to cope with globalization and globalization opens new opportunities for new services.

Why policies on services?

• Economic and industrial policies often exclude services with no economic rationale.
• Services are heterogeneous and need specific approaches that differ from approaches to goods.
• Market and system failures justify public intervention in services.
• Public and private services need to evaluate economic and social performance.
• Citizens, organizations and policy makers need to be empowered to co-create value for new public policies by innovation for public administration and public services.