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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis eye-opening book documents how the United States is trying to suppress cultural diversity through its trade agreements. An essential read for anyone concerned with protecting local cultural expression in the face of Hollywood domination. -- Peter S. Grant, McCarthy Tetrault
Gagné’s analysis is empirically rich, current, and attentive to broader societal shifts, notably the prominence of digital and commercial services. Those interested in the trade and culture debates of the 1990s will welcome this careful and comprehensive update. Yet the close analysis of a range of key provisions in more than a dozen recent FTAs, including TiSA, TPP, and TTIP, should also have broader appeal. Gagné has performed a great service with this study. -- Patricia M. Goff, Wilfrid Laurier University
A first wave of studies on trade and culture in international law has focused on the World Trade Organization (WTO). Gilbert Gagné’s book belongs to a second wave, scrutinizing the parameters for the culture sector in the free trade agreements (FTAs), which the United States has concluded with different countries throughout the world. Highly recommended reading for anybody interested in the evolution of the trade and culture debate in a “WTO-Plus” era. -- Christoph B. Graber, University of Zurich
Free trade agreements (FTAs) are increasingly where the action is in the trading system, and Gilbert Gagné, in The Trade and Culture Debate: Evidence from US Trade Agreements, breaks down how the United States, the top exporter of entertainment media, has turned to FTAs to propel its trade agenda for the new digital environment. Through an exhaustive inventory of US FTAs, the book reveals that trade partners have conceded sweeping commitments to keep digital and electronic trade open and narrowed their policy space to manage traditional cultural industries—strong evidence that the shift to a less hardline US strategy has produced results. Set against the wider trade-culture conflict, one of the oldest trade controversies, Gagné provides valuable new information for policy analysts, students of the global economy, and citizens interested in how cultural goods and services are handled in contemporary trade agreements. -- Kerry A. Chase, Brandeis University
Table of ContentsForeword by Christian Deblock Introduction Chapter 1: The Trade and Culture Debate Chapter 2: The Treatment of Cultural Products in US Free Trade Agreements Chapter 3: US Free Trade Agreements with Developing Countries Chapter 4: US Free Trade Agreements with Developed Countries Chapter 5: Recent and Ongoing US Trade Negotiations Chapter 6: Conclusion About the Author
