CSI Foundation

The Coalition of Service Industries Research and Education Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that produces research and educational projects that strengthen and complements CSI's activities on behalf of its members, and advance the interests of the U.S. service sector in general.

Creation of the Foundation was motivated by several factors:

  • Realization that the importance of the service sector's contribution to U.S. GDP, jobs and trade is not well appreciated;
  • Acknowledgment of the lack of research on the benefits of overseas service markets competition;
  • Recognition of the need for concentrated attention towards the implementation of services trade agreements based on disappointing experience with the implementation of commitments to the General Agreement on Trade in Services and the ratification of the Telecommunications Agreement; and

The Foundation hosted the first ever World Services Congress that took place in Atlanta, Georgia in November 1999. The World Services Congress provided an unprecedented forum to address those critical challenges-- market access, e-commerce, data security, deregulation, infrastructure development, privatization, trade liberalization and economic reform in developing countries - that impact trade in a broad range of services, from finance and health care to engineering and telecommunications.

CSI Foundation's leadership in service sector studies has had a lasting impact, as evidenced by the second World Services Congress that took place in Hong Kong in October, 2001. Like the first World Services Congress, the second one brought together some of the world's most respected business people, government officials and academics to build support for the liberalization of international trade services by creating fair and open world markets for the service sector through dialogue and multinational negotiation.

Upcoming Foundation Interests:

  • Support for CSI programs in China. Click here for more details.
  • Projects that track closely ratification and implementation of the WTO financial services and telecommunications agreements and data privacy.
  • A survey of the current state of the US government's collection of data on services trade, productivity and employment. The Government has made selective improvements in this area but there is a need for an overall review of weaknesses and needs, as the basis for a program of future improvement.
  • Work on governments new business classification survey in which all business in North America have been reclassified and the service sector has received special attention. The lack of accurate service sector treatment in the previous SIC code regime has resulted in incomplete data about economic activity in the service sectors.
  • Joint venture research projects with other institutions
Coalition of Service Industries Research and Education Foundation
1090 Vermont Avenue, NW
Suite 420
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202-289-7460
Fax: 202-775-1726
Services Drive Growth

The Service Economy

Services represents approximately 75% of US economic output and about 80% of US private sector employment. In 2010, US private services exports exceeded $526 billion, and had a services trade surplus of approximately $168 billion.

Services are essential inputs into the production of virtually all products.  The price and quality of services influence costs and productivity in all other sectors in an economy, including manufacturing and agriculture.  Thus, when liberalized and made more efficient, services have a strong effect in the competitiveness of an entire economy.  For more data and statistics on the service economy, click here.

About CSI

CSI is the leading business organization dedicated to the development of U.S. domestic and international policies that enhance the global competitiveness of the U.S. service sector through bilateral, regional, multilateral, and other trade and investment initiatives.
For more information, click here...