APEC Policy Brief – Drivers of Services Competitiveness and the Contribution of Structural Reform

The focus of the Policy Brief is the contribution of structural reform efforts to the develop of competitiveness in the services sector. The first part reviews recent developments in services growth and trade, drawing attention to a sustained pervasive underlying structural shift to services in the global and regional economy. This includes analysis of the nature of the services sector and the ongoing evolution of its value-adding activities. The second part identifies the drivers of competitiveness against the background of which we derive a schematic whole-of-government framework for services policy making.  The third and final part highlights the value of cooperation among economies in the implementation of this framework, and the particular role that APEC can play.