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100 Law Libr. J. 388 (2008)
The Origins of the Ownership Society: How the Defined Contribution Paradigm Changed America

handle is hein.journals/llj100 and id is 388 raw text is: Law Library Journal

like steel or wheat, the author explains how the vastly different views of WTO
members in earlier negotiations led to a stalemate, an outcome that is disappoint-
ing to all.
49 As the current do nothing approach does not offer a long-term solution
to the trade and culture issue, Voon proposes the following solutions in detail: reso-
lution through dispute settlement by using international law to interpret WTO law
on cultural products; constructing a new agreement outside the WTO by employ-
ing international organizations such as the International Network on Cultural
Policy, the International Network for Cultural Diversity, or the UNESCO
Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic
Expressions; and, finally, reforms to improve the existing WTO agreements to
achieve a better balance between trade liberalization and cultural policy
objectives.
50 Voon examines each solution, its advantages, implications, and possible
shortfalls. While she finds no silver bullet for the problem, Voon calls for action as
UNESCO's new convention affecting trade and cultural diversity16 enters into
force in 2007 and the WTO's Doha Round17 of negotiations stumbles.
51 This book is not biased in favor of trade or culture. Voon presents some
solutions that should be acceptable to both sides, citing international trade treaties
and other materials extensively, while explaining the reasons for different coun-
tries' arguments. She also provides a discussion of the role of international law in
WTO disputes, while taking into account political ramifications. A discussion of a
highly specialized topic, this book is not meant for the layman or for entry-level
reading. Fully appreciating Cultural Products and the World Trade Organization
requires a fundamental understanding of the history of international trade, the
agreements that led to the creation of WTO and their built-in conflicts, the struc-
ture of WTO, and the general practice of international trade.
Zelinsky, Edward A. The Origins of the Ownership Society: How the Defined
Contribution Paradigm Changed America. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2007. 192p. $55.
Reviewed by Joshua Phillips
52 I grew up the child of a mother who was an active member of a public
employee union. Upon her retirement, my mother, like the other members of her
union, will be well protected for life from economic insecurity because of the pen-
sion benefits guaranteed to her. From an early age I accepted the defined benefit
model of retirement savings, as represented by the pension, as being both rational
and fair. The security and ease of mind that this model engendered was always on
16. UNESCO, Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, Oct.
20, 2005, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001429/142919e.pdf.
17. World Trade Organization, Ministerial Declaration of 14 November 2001, WT/MIN(01)/DEC/I, 41
I.L.M. 746 (2002) (Doha Declaration).

[Vol. 100:2

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