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Irish foreign policy and the European community
Book
policy; an area at the heart of the Thatcherite agenda with its commitment to reducing public expenditure and ending the dependency culture. Stephen Savage provides a comprehensive account of the Conservative approach to law and order and the changes resulting from new forms of policing and the criminal justice acts. The chapter on health policy provides a good outline of the NHS review process but could have said more about the problems that led to the review. Whilst it is correct to say that, in some senses, the review was more radical than expected. the outcome of the review was a rejection of ‘New Right’ demands for a fundamental change in the basis of NHS funding. The chapters covering housing, local government, education and community care all provide reasonable accounts of the radical policies that were introduced In these arcas but they could have emphasised the major lmplcmentation problems that the government faced. McGlone, when reviewing social security policy, does mention some of the constraints on implementation but fails to say why. despite all the efforts and modifications of policy, the government was unable to contain expenditure or fundamentally alter the provision of social security. The chapter on equal opportunities raises some interesting points on how EO policy initially flourished despite Thatchcrism, only later to wither, again because of factors beyond Thatcherism. Lyons on Northern Ireland gives a good account of the Anglo-Irish Agreement but does not really explain what a monumental change this was for a staunchly unionist Prime Minister in a unionist party; nor why such a major change occurred. The chapter on Foreign policy focuses on the continuity of policy and Mrs Thatcher’s well-known ambivalence towards Europe and friendship with the United States of America. Overall. this book will provide students lacking knowledge of the 1980s with an introduction to the policy changes of the Thatcher era. The main deficiency of the book is that it does both too much and too little. It does too much in trying to cover so many policy areas (even so there is a major omission, particularly in the light of subsequent events. of a separate chapter on the EC). Consequently, it does too little because the coverage is often brief and so fails to provide much useful information or analysis. The tendency throughout is to description rather than explanation. Frequently, the chapters fail to examine how much policy really changed or whether the change was radical or distinctive. The book lacks an overall framework with which to explain why policy changed in some areas but not in others and why, despite radical intent, change was so often incremental. It omits to say whether policy change occurred because of, or despite, Thatcherism. For example, the conclusion points to radical changes in trade union policy. But to what extent were these changes the result of broader economic and social changes’? To see trade union reform as a radical break is a one-dimensional view. Work by McInnes and Marsh, for instance, has demonstrated that change at the shopfloor level is much more complicated than changes in the law suggest and that the position of Trade Unions was changing before 1979. The book also needed a stronger focus on implementation. To what extent did the failure to control the implementation process thwart reform and force unintended changes in policy? It is questions such as these that the book fails to answer. MARTIN
J. SMITH
Department of PC&tics University of S~ef~el~, U. K.
Reviews
473
Irish Foreign Policy and the European Community, Sharp,
253 pp.,
1990, Dartmouth,
Paul
Aldershot
The stated purpose of this book is to explore the reasons why successive Irish governments have pursued a form of foreign policy. which may be characterised as playing ‘the international good citizen role’ and to evaluate the consequences of such policy for the country. Although the specific focus of the book is the foreign policy of one state, much of the discussion is of a general theoretical nature resulting in a study which is of broad interest to students of international relations in general, but particularly to those interested in the impact of interdependence (mutual need) on the foreign policy of a small state. The book is comprised of three main sections: the first is an historical account of Ireland’s foreign policy in which the author develops his theoretical arguments relating to the influence of increasing levels of interdependence on small state foreign policy. The second part is a reconstruction of how leading Irish politicians interpreted and explained Irish foreign policy after Ireland was admitted to the United Nations in l95.5. The impact of Ireland’s membership of the EEC on Irish foreign policy, especially during the period 1977-1983, is the main focus of the third section. The author argues convincingly that the true significance of international role-playing as pursued by Ireland, both within the UN and the EEC, may best be understood in terms of a small country, with credibility problems with regard to its international standing as a sovereign independent state, endeavouring to secure prestige and influence and thus enhanced status. Irish foreign policy initiatives, which were concentrated in the political realm, were particularly successful in achieving the above aim. However, assumptions that these gains were convertible into influence in other areas of policy, and particularly in economic external affairs, were found to be false especially when Ireland was confronted with the emergence of major changes in international trading systems associated with the establishment of the EEC. Suddenly, the independent and neutral orientation of Ireland’s foreign policy appeared ‘not merely irrelevant’ but had the possibility of being ‘positively harmful’. That Irish foreign policy did not undergo significant modification in response to this crux is clearly demonstrated in this book. This is not in accordance with the predictions of the interdependance thesis. Of fundamental theoretical importance is whether the persistence of the original foreign policy behaviour through a period when it appeared increasingly obsolete may be explained in terms of ‘inadequacies in the interdependent thesis’ or ‘the failure of the EEC to constitute a fair test of its predictions’, a question which Paul Sharp resolves in favour of the former. One may quibble about the author’s failure, to consult original and official sources but rather rely on secondary and somewhat less reliable sources in some cases and especially with regard to economic statistics. One may also wonder why analysis of post-EEC foreign policy behaviour is so focused on the period 1977-1983, to the virtual exclusion of earlier and later years. Overall. however, this is a well-researched, tightly argued and nicely written book which will interest a wide readership. The manner in which Irish foreign policy has been explored, not just for its own intrinsic interest, but also to advance theoretical
474
Book Reviews
understanding of the international in general, is of particular merit.
University
relations
of small states
MICHAEL O’CINNEIDE College of Galway, Ireland
Economics of Protected Areas: a New Look at Benefits and Costs, 235 pp., 1990, Earthscan. London, f14.95 pb
addition to any basic environmental management undergraduate course and should also be useful for students in many aspects of development studies. As such, it should provide a bridge towards more intermediate level texts, for example, the authors’ earlier book (Dixon et al., 1988) or more advanced reading such as Pearce and Turner (1990). As such it may also appeal to governmental and non-governmental organisations and is to be commended. IAN
Growing out of a study funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, this book attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of both the economic and political dimensions of protected areas. With such a wide remit it is perhaps not surprising that the coverage is necessarily brief and will probably be of only limited interest to specialists in the field. However, it does provide a very valuable introductory text linking diverse disciplines in an accessible and easily readable manner.
BATEMAN
School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia, U.K. References Dixon, J.A., Carpenter, P.B. and Manipomoke,
the Environmental
R.A., Fallon, L.A., Sherman, S. (1988) Economic Analysis of
impacts of Development
Projects.
Earthscan, London. Pearce, D.W. and Turner,
Natural Resources
R.K. (1990) Economics of and the Environment. Harvester
The book is divided roughly 40/60 into consideration of theoretical and applied issues. Opening with the theory chapters, the text concentrates upon economic valuation theory and its role in the selection and management of protected areas. Particular emphasis is placed upon methods for evaluating the benefits of protection. Methods described range from conventional opportunity cost approaches to revealed and expressed preference methods for the monetary evaluation of environmental impacts such as the travel cost or contingent valuation methods. White unable to give more than the basic essence of these approaches, Dixon and Sherman do provide a valuable contextual guide for those new to the subject area who wish to stand back and view the overall landscape before diving into detail. This is generally aided by the provision of a glossary of terms (although at times the definitions included tend towards oversimplification).
Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead. Tobias, D. and Mendelsohn, R. (1991) Valuing ecotourism in a tropical rain-forest reserve. Ambio 20, 91-
The second part of this book deals with application issues and, because of the nature of. the underlying research funding, the emphasis is very much upon less-developed country examples. This is both an advantage, in that the ‘clash’ of economic theory with political reality is probably more explicit in such a context, and a problem in that the preceding economic theory chapters focus strongly upon developed world examples. The recent increase in LDC applications of advanced monetary evaluation techniques [for example, Tobias and Mendelsohn’s (1991) use of the travel cost method for valuing Costa Rican rainforest ecotourism or Whittin8ton et af,‘s (1990) contingent valuation of water supply in Haiti] might allow the authors scope for a useful subsequent revision, concentrating theoretical attention upon the LDC environment.
As once again the problems of famine in East Africa are drawn to public attention it was with great interest that I began to read this text. Any ideas and suggestions of how agricultural productivity could be improved must surely be welcomed. Unfortunately the high ideals suggested by the book’s title were not to be realised. Indeed whilst parts of the text were undoubtedly interesting, my overall impression was one of disappointment.
The examples discussed appear at first to be relatively limited, with three of the application chapters concentrated upon Thailand while the rest of the world commands only a further two chapters. However, upon reading, the whole section works well with the three Thai studies providing in-depth detail of specific protection problems and the, much briefer, six other studies giving a feel for the enormous breadth of political and economic environments within which essentially the same protection questions are being asked. These examples will no doubt provide useful case-study material for essay writing. As noted before this is an introductory rather than advanced level text. It would provide a very useful
93. Whittington, D., Briscoe, J., Mu. X. and Barron, W. (1990) Estimating the willingness to pay for water services in developing countries: a case study of the use of contingent valuation surveys in Southern Haiti’.
Economic 311.
Incentives 223 pp.,
Development and Cultural Change 38, 293-
and Agriculture in East Africa, Mats Lundal, 1990, Routledge, f35.00
Basically, the text is organised around three main essays. ‘Ideology as a determinant of economic systems: Nyerere and Ujamaa in Tanzania’ provides an interesting insight into the way that under Nyerere ideological incentives were used to motivate output in agricultural systems. ‘African socialism stresses ‘collective’ non material incentives to production: moral rewards and exhortation’ (p. 78). Unfortunately agricultural productivity declined substantially not least because individuals are responsible for productive activities within a system and they remained unconvinced with the advantages of communalisation. The second chapter, ‘Market related incentives and food production in Tanzania: theory and experience’, examined the importance of price incentives in improving agricultural production. An economic model was produced examining the potential impact of changes in prices and costs on production. Not unsurprisingly one of the conclusions of this sectlon was that self-interest and economic motivation have an important role to play in production. Empirical evidence indicated how low official
policy; an area at the heart of the Thatcherite agenda with its commitment to reducing public expenditure and ending the dependency culture. Stephen Savage provides a comprehensive account of the Conservative approach to law and order and the changes resulting from new forms of policing and the criminal justice acts. The chapter on health policy provides a good outline of the NHS review process but could have said more about the problems that led to the review. Whilst it is correct to say that, in some senses, the review was more radical than expected. the outcome of the review was a rejection of ‘New Right’ demands for a fundamental change in the basis of NHS funding. The chapters covering housing, local government, education and community care all provide reasonable accounts of the radical policies that were introduced In these arcas but they could have emphasised the major lmplcmentation problems that the government faced. McGlone, when reviewing social security policy, does mention some of the constraints on implementation but fails to say why. despite all the efforts and modifications of policy, the government was unable to contain expenditure or fundamentally alter the provision of social security. The chapter on equal opportunities raises some interesting points on how EO policy initially flourished despite Thatchcrism, only later to wither, again because of factors beyond Thatcherism. Lyons on Northern Ireland gives a good account of the Anglo-Irish Agreement but does not really explain what a monumental change this was for a staunchly unionist Prime Minister in a unionist party; nor why such a major change occurred. The chapter on Foreign policy focuses on the continuity of policy and Mrs Thatcher’s well-known ambivalence towards Europe and friendship with the United States of America. Overall. this book will provide students lacking knowledge of the 1980s with an introduction to the policy changes of the Thatcher era. The main deficiency of the book is that it does both too much and too little. It does too much in trying to cover so many policy areas (even so there is a major omission, particularly in the light of subsequent events. of a separate chapter on the EC). Consequently, it does too little because the coverage is often brief and so fails to provide much useful information or analysis. The tendency throughout is to description rather than explanation. Frequently, the chapters fail to examine how much policy really changed or whether the change was radical or distinctive. The book lacks an overall framework with which to explain why policy changed in some areas but not in others and why, despite radical intent, change was so often incremental. It omits to say whether policy change occurred because of, or despite, Thatcherism. For example, the conclusion points to radical changes in trade union policy. But to what extent were these changes the result of broader economic and social changes’? To see trade union reform as a radical break is a one-dimensional view. Work by McInnes and Marsh, for instance, has demonstrated that change at the shopfloor level is much more complicated than changes in the law suggest and that the position of Trade Unions was changing before 1979. The book also needed a stronger focus on implementation. To what extent did the failure to control the implementation process thwart reform and force unintended changes in policy? It is questions such as these that the book fails to answer. MARTIN
J. SMITH
Department of PC&tics University of S~ef~el~, U. K.
Reviews
473
Irish Foreign Policy and the European Community, Sharp,
253 pp.,
1990, Dartmouth,
Paul
Aldershot
The stated purpose of this book is to explore the reasons why successive Irish governments have pursued a form of foreign policy. which may be characterised as playing ‘the international good citizen role’ and to evaluate the consequences of such policy for the country. Although the specific focus of the book is the foreign policy of one state, much of the discussion is of a general theoretical nature resulting in a study which is of broad interest to students of international relations in general, but particularly to those interested in the impact of interdependence (mutual need) on the foreign policy of a small state. The book is comprised of three main sections: the first is an historical account of Ireland’s foreign policy in which the author develops his theoretical arguments relating to the influence of increasing levels of interdependence on small state foreign policy. The second part is a reconstruction of how leading Irish politicians interpreted and explained Irish foreign policy after Ireland was admitted to the United Nations in l95.5. The impact of Ireland’s membership of the EEC on Irish foreign policy, especially during the period 1977-1983, is the main focus of the third section. The author argues convincingly that the true significance of international role-playing as pursued by Ireland, both within the UN and the EEC, may best be understood in terms of a small country, with credibility problems with regard to its international standing as a sovereign independent state, endeavouring to secure prestige and influence and thus enhanced status. Irish foreign policy initiatives, which were concentrated in the political realm, were particularly successful in achieving the above aim. However, assumptions that these gains were convertible into influence in other areas of policy, and particularly in economic external affairs, were found to be false especially when Ireland was confronted with the emergence of major changes in international trading systems associated with the establishment of the EEC. Suddenly, the independent and neutral orientation of Ireland’s foreign policy appeared ‘not merely irrelevant’ but had the possibility of being ‘positively harmful’. That Irish foreign policy did not undergo significant modification in response to this crux is clearly demonstrated in this book. This is not in accordance with the predictions of the interdependance thesis. Of fundamental theoretical importance is whether the persistence of the original foreign policy behaviour through a period when it appeared increasingly obsolete may be explained in terms of ‘inadequacies in the interdependent thesis’ or ‘the failure of the EEC to constitute a fair test of its predictions’, a question which Paul Sharp resolves in favour of the former. One may quibble about the author’s failure, to consult original and official sources but rather rely on secondary and somewhat less reliable sources in some cases and especially with regard to economic statistics. One may also wonder why analysis of post-EEC foreign policy behaviour is so focused on the period 1977-1983, to the virtual exclusion of earlier and later years. Overall. however, this is a well-researched, tightly argued and nicely written book which will interest a wide readership. The manner in which Irish foreign policy has been explored, not just for its own intrinsic interest, but also to advance theoretical
474
Book Reviews
understanding of the international in general, is of particular merit.
University
relations
of small states
MICHAEL O’CINNEIDE College of Galway, Ireland
Economics of Protected Areas: a New Look at Benefits and Costs, 235 pp., 1990, Earthscan. London, f14.95 pb
addition to any basic environmental management undergraduate course and should also be useful for students in many aspects of development studies. As such, it should provide a bridge towards more intermediate level texts, for example, the authors’ earlier book (Dixon et al., 1988) or more advanced reading such as Pearce and Turner (1990). As such it may also appeal to governmental and non-governmental organisations and is to be commended. IAN
Growing out of a study funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, this book attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of both the economic and political dimensions of protected areas. With such a wide remit it is perhaps not surprising that the coverage is necessarily brief and will probably be of only limited interest to specialists in the field. However, it does provide a very valuable introductory text linking diverse disciplines in an accessible and easily readable manner.
BATEMAN
School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia, U.K. References Dixon, J.A., Carpenter, P.B. and Manipomoke,
the Environmental
R.A., Fallon, L.A., Sherman, S. (1988) Economic Analysis of
impacts of Development
Projects.
Earthscan, London. Pearce, D.W. and Turner,
Natural Resources
R.K. (1990) Economics of and the Environment. Harvester
The book is divided roughly 40/60 into consideration of theoretical and applied issues. Opening with the theory chapters, the text concentrates upon economic valuation theory and its role in the selection and management of protected areas. Particular emphasis is placed upon methods for evaluating the benefits of protection. Methods described range from conventional opportunity cost approaches to revealed and expressed preference methods for the monetary evaluation of environmental impacts such as the travel cost or contingent valuation methods. White unable to give more than the basic essence of these approaches, Dixon and Sherman do provide a valuable contextual guide for those new to the subject area who wish to stand back and view the overall landscape before diving into detail. This is generally aided by the provision of a glossary of terms (although at times the definitions included tend towards oversimplification).
Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead. Tobias, D. and Mendelsohn, R. (1991) Valuing ecotourism in a tropical rain-forest reserve. Ambio 20, 91-
The second part of this book deals with application issues and, because of the nature of. the underlying research funding, the emphasis is very much upon less-developed country examples. This is both an advantage, in that the ‘clash’ of economic theory with political reality is probably more explicit in such a context, and a problem in that the preceding economic theory chapters focus strongly upon developed world examples. The recent increase in LDC applications of advanced monetary evaluation techniques [for example, Tobias and Mendelsohn’s (1991) use of the travel cost method for valuing Costa Rican rainforest ecotourism or Whittin8ton et af,‘s (1990) contingent valuation of water supply in Haiti] might allow the authors scope for a useful subsequent revision, concentrating theoretical attention upon the LDC environment.
As once again the problems of famine in East Africa are drawn to public attention it was with great interest that I began to read this text. Any ideas and suggestions of how agricultural productivity could be improved must surely be welcomed. Unfortunately the high ideals suggested by the book’s title were not to be realised. Indeed whilst parts of the text were undoubtedly interesting, my overall impression was one of disappointment.
The examples discussed appear at first to be relatively limited, with three of the application chapters concentrated upon Thailand while the rest of the world commands only a further two chapters. However, upon reading, the whole section works well with the three Thai studies providing in-depth detail of specific protection problems and the, much briefer, six other studies giving a feel for the enormous breadth of political and economic environments within which essentially the same protection questions are being asked. These examples will no doubt provide useful case-study material for essay writing. As noted before this is an introductory rather than advanced level text. It would provide a very useful
93. Whittington, D., Briscoe, J., Mu. X. and Barron, W. (1990) Estimating the willingness to pay for water services in developing countries: a case study of the use of contingent valuation surveys in Southern Haiti’.
Economic 311.
Incentives 223 pp.,
Development and Cultural Change 38, 293-
and Agriculture in East Africa, Mats Lundal, 1990, Routledge, f35.00
Basically, the text is organised around three main essays. ‘Ideology as a determinant of economic systems: Nyerere and Ujamaa in Tanzania’ provides an interesting insight into the way that under Nyerere ideological incentives were used to motivate output in agricultural systems. ‘African socialism stresses ‘collective’ non material incentives to production: moral rewards and exhortation’ (p. 78). Unfortunately agricultural productivity declined substantially not least because individuals are responsible for productive activities within a system and they remained unconvinced with the advantages of communalisation. The second chapter, ‘Market related incentives and food production in Tanzania: theory and experience’, examined the importance of price incentives in improving agricultural production. An economic model was produced examining the potential impact of changes in prices and costs on production. Not unsurprisingly one of the conclusions of this sectlon was that self-interest and economic motivation have an important role to play in production. Empirical evidence indicated how low official