The Political Economy of Hollywood: Politics and Film

Hollywood is an industry and an institution. Like other industries, the film business has chains of production and distribution that can be comparatively analyzed. Its creation of jobs and income, its role in generating tax revenues and exports, and its concerns about intellectual property protection, can be compared with that of other industries. But Hollywood is an industry with a difference. It is a key contributor to American and global popular culture. The film industry is a cultural industry. It packages and sells the collective dreams and aspirations of its audiences. Hollywood’s cultural products put a particular spin on what it means to be male or female, straight or gay, or white or black in the United States.