This book aims to improve the understanding of the relationship between cultural diversity and international economic integration and its implications for global governance of the audio-visual sector.The national audio-visual policies of a number of countries - including Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, India and the UK - are compared in order to assess their potential impacts and restrictive effects on international trade and investment. The variety of approaches used by the contributors reflects the wide differences among national audio-visual systems and offers a rich perspective on how they can be analysed. The lessons drawn from these national case studies are placed in context by up-to-date original analysis of the constraints arising from the WTO system.

Scholars and professionals in the audio-visual sector and in international trade negotiations would be interested in the issues discussed in the book, given their importance in shaping the institutional environment of cultural and economic activities in the audio-visual sector.