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1. How is culture traded?
2. Does international trade in culture threaten cultural diversity? 3. What are the key challenges to implementing trade agreements which include cultural goods and services? 1. How is culture traded? Situating culture in a liberalized global trade environment begins with debate on the very definition of cultural goods and services. Once defined, if a cultural good or service (such as a CD recording) is treated like any other commodity or service, then it is also subject to the same trade rules. However, many countries, including Canada, recognize cultural goods and services as distinct vehicles of identity, values and meaning. This recognition legitimizes the adoption of specific trade measures to 'preserve and promote' domestic cultural content. Click here to learn more about managing culture in a global trade environment. 2. Does international trade in culture threaten cultural diversity? Currently, cultural goods and services are primarily managed through wide-ranging "cultural exemptions and trade obligations" in the complement of existing trade agreements. However, by 1999 (after the tensions over the split-run magazine controversy), Canada assessed its options for managing cultural diversity. The Cultural Industries Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade (SAGIT) released its seminal report (commonly called the SAGIT Report)recommending a new direction for Canadian trade policy, including an international instrument on cultural diversity. Six years later, this recommended instrument has evolved into the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Content and Artistic Expression. Ce projet de Convention devrait être présenté à la 33e Conférence générale de l’UNESCO au mois d’octobre 2005. Click here to learn more about managing cultural diversity in a globalized world. 3. What are the key challenges to implementing trade agreements which include cultural goods and services? The divergence of views with respect to what constitutes a cultural good as distinct from a non-cultural good is a significant challenge in the context of trade negotiations. It follows that there is no international consensus on the treatment of culture in trade. For instance, while a majority of countries see merit in establishing the UNESCO Convention, negotiations have been animated by opposing views about the implications this Convention will have for global trade. The question of "what" is further complicated by the question of "how". In this dynamic era of emergent digital production and distribution technologies, can quotas and regulatory regimes designed to promote diversity adapt quickly enough to be effective? Click here to learn more about the challenges facing trade in the cultural industries.
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