The increasing importance of services both nationally and internationally is, mainly, due to the gains in agricultural and industrial productiv­ ity (freeing resources for services activities), and the progress in communication technology, facilitating trade in invisibles.

0. Overview and synthesis.- 0.0. Theoretical considerations.- 0.1. Regulatory framework.- 0.2. Structure and development of the service sector in Switzerland.- 0.3. Future changes induced by European economic integration.- 0.4. Outlook.- 0.5. References.- A. Theoretical appendix to chapter 0.- A.0. The new theory of demand as the frame of reference.- A.1. Application to construction.- A.2. Application to telecommunications.- A.3. Application to road transport.- A.4. Application to retail trade.- A.5. Application to banking.- A.6. Application to insurance.- A.7. Application to tourism.- A.8. Application to management consultancy.- A.9. References to theoretical appendix.- 1. Construction.- 1.1. The regulatory framework since 1980.- 1.2. Structural development of the Swiss construction sector.- 1.3. The technical efficiency of Swiss construction firms.- 1.4. Conclusion.- 1.5. References.- 1.6. Appendix to chapter 1: The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to technical efficiency.- 2. Telecommunications services.- 2.1. The regulatory framework since 1980.- 2.2. Structural development of the Swiss telecommunications industry.- 2.3. Future changes induced by participation in European economic integration.- 2.4. Outlook.- 2.5. References.- 3 Road transport.- 3.0. Introductory remarks.- 3.1. The regulatory framework for road transport since 1980.- 3.2. Structure and development of the road transport sector in Switzerland.- 3.3. Future changes induced by participation in European economic integration.- 3.4. Outlook.- 3.5. References.- 4. Retail trade.- 4.0. Introductory remarks.- 4.1. The legislative framework relevant to retail trade.- 4.2. Structure and development of Swiss retail trade.- 4.3. Future changes induced by participation in European economic integration.- 4.4. Internationalization.- 4.5. Concluding remarks.- 4.6. References.- 5. Banking.- 5.0. Introduction.- 5.1. The regulatory framework since 1980.- 5.2. Structure, development, and performance of the Swiss banking industry.- 5.3. Future changes induced by European economic integration.- 5.4. Concluding remarks.- 5.5. References.- 6. Insurance.- 6.1. The regulatory framework since 1980.- 6.2. Structure and development of the Swiss insurance industry.- 6.3. Future changes induced by participation in European economic integration.- 6.4. Outlook.- 6.5. References.- 7. Tourism.- 7.0. Introductory remarks.- 7.1. The regulatory framework since 1980.- 7.2. Structure and development of tourism - related services.- 7.3. Future changes induced by participation in European economic integration.- 7.4. Outlook.- 7.5. References.- 8. Management and engineering consultancy.- 8.0. Introductory remarks.- 8.1. The regulatory framework since 1980 in Switzerland.- 8.2. Structure and development of the Swiss management and engineering consultancy industries.- 8.3. Future changes induced by participation in European economic integration.- 8.4. Outlook.- 8.5. References.- 9. Epilogue: Implications for Swiss foreign economic policy.- 9.1 Switzerland as a services economy.- 9.2 Increasing importance of services for economic development and trade.- 9.3 Difficulties of liberalizing trade in services.- 9.4 Emerging patterns in international trade negotiations.- 9.5 Services and Swiss foreign economic policy.- Appendix: List of indicators.- List of contributors.