In this paper, we put forward an analysis of local and regional incentives and policies toward service activities. After a first historical perspective, we adopt a typological approach which allows us to distinguish between four main policy orientations: policy toward the service providers, the service users, policy focused on the provider-user interaction and more generally “environmental policies”. On the basis of this typology, we raise some questions about the choices offered to local and regional practionners and about the consequences of these choices and especially some of their contradictory effects.