For many regions, culture is considered the only viable resource they have for economic development. Neo-liberalist economics has become the dominant paradigm across a wide range of cultural contexts, while the cultural contingency of this paradigm itself has been obscured. In offering an empirically grounded anthropological critique of these issues, this volume seeks to offer a contribution to the international debate on culture and economy. The case studies shed light on everyday practices used to establish culture's economic value, and concepts of culture and economy employed by policy decision-makers are scrutinized through studies of strategies and policies at various levels. Aspects of economy, such as the market, are examined as cultural constructs in a historical context. Illustrated by international case studies, the volume provides a survey of the theories and practices that shape the polyvalent relationships between culture and economy in the 21st century.