Trade Liberalisation and Cultural Policy

Abstract

This article examines the tension between global trade liberalisation and the pursuit of cultural policies by national governments. It reviews the background to the discourse over trade and culture and a range of domestic cultural policy measures. Attention is also focused on the emergent issues governing the relationship between intellectual property, trade and culture and recent disputes involving at the WTO in this area. The article then analyses the pervasiveness of globalisation and its impact on the way in which cultural goods and services are traded and distributed, using the new media technologies, and its effects on cultural identity. The final section of the article discusses some prospects for the treatment of trade and culture at the WTO at the beginning of the new Millennium. A broad cultural exception to trade is rejected in favour of the application of specific rules governing trade and culture.

Keywords: Cultural Policy, Trade Liberalisation, WTO, Globalisation, Cultural Diversity