self-service economy

A Dictionary of Sociology | 1998 | 563 words | Copyright

self-service economy An economy in which a large and increasing proportion of household expenditure is invested in durable goods (such as tools and machinery) which allow consumers to produce services for themselves (rather than buying the services as in a service economy). Two processes are said to be encouraging this trend in some advanced capitalist societies: technical innovation leading to cheaper and simpler capital machinery; and rising labour costs (see J. Gershuny , After Industrial Society?, 1978
). See also INDUSTRIAL SECTOR; SERVICE INDUSTRIES.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

GORDON MARSHALL. "self-service economy." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

GORDON MARSHALL. "self-service economy." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-selfserviceeconomy.html

GORDON MARSHALL. "self-service economy." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-selfserviceeconomy.html

Learn more about citation styles