TECHNICAL CHANGE AND INCORPORATED RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT IN THE SERVICE SECTOR

The purpose of this article is to study the pattern of technical chang e in the service sector using an indicator of total technology intensi ty which takes account of the R&D incorporated in purchases of interme diates and equipment. The service sector does not appear as homogeneou s and some services are major users of technology. An international co mparison over eight countries does not show a clear pattern of converg ence in total technology intensity except for the communication servic es. A comparison between France and Germany emphasises the differences between the relative importance of domestic and imported incorporated technology. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.