ABSTRACT
All growing economies undergo structural change in terms of the sectoral composition of output and, to a lesser extent, in terms of the sectoral distribution of employment. It would be a strange economy indeed where all economic sectors grew at the same rate leaving the sectoral proportions within the overall economy unchanged. Although the processes of economic growth and structural change are intimately connected, this does not imply that the outcomes of these two processes are necessarily consistent with some normative concept of economic development. Structural change may well destroy existing economic activities and employment opportunities, in both less developed and developed market economies, and development itself becomes a process of creating new economic sectors and activities and developing new employment opportunities. Nevertheless, it is important to discover whether historical patterns of structural change can be identified, and whether or not lessons can be learned from such exercises.
