Trade and culture: the ongoing debate

ABSTRACT

The debate over how to reconcile trade liberalization with cultural policy is a long-standing one. There is great variation in how countries have navigated this debate. Furthermore, evolving individual policy approaches show noteworthy dynamism, largely in response to domestic politics, shifts in the international trading system and technological developments. This special issue explores different approaches to the trade and culture debate across geographic space, as well as the evolution across time through analysis of six cases – Canada, the European Union, South Africa, Latin America, the United States and China.

KEYWORDS:

• Trade liberalization
• cultural policy
• cultural industries
• UNESCO convention

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. APEC is a regional economic forum comprised of 21 member countries.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patricia M. Goff

Patricia M. Goff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, both in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Her research explores the politics and governance challenges of trade policy.