Review by Choice Review
Environmental activists should heed this comparative study of efforts to reduce pollution in 17 industrial democracies over the 1970-95 period. Whereas previous reports have focused on the adoption of pollution control policies, this work emphasizes outcomes and highlights the extent to which policy standards are not always enforced in practice. Scruggs (political science, Univ. of Connecticut) describes the impact of many variables on environmental performance and presents some tentative conclusions. Of special note is the suggestion that countries with "neocorporatist" institutions--centralized economic interest groups, with a consensual approach to policy making--have had better results than countries with more pluralist arrangements and greater separation of powers. Also, with reference to national boundaries and population density, it appears that small countries generally make more rapid progress than nations that extend over large territories. Given these observations, readers will not be surprised to learn that West Germany registered the best record of achievement, while the US ranked 13th on the list. Although critics will point out that this study is somewhat dated and that criteria used to evaluate national performance are limited, it provides a baseline for continued research into ways to sustain abundance around the world and preserve resources for future generations. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. G. T. Potter emeritus, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
