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Political studies from spatial perspectives— Anglo-American essays on political geography
AppZiedGeography (1982), 2,159-167 0 1982 Butterworths
159
Book reviews Burnett, A. D. and Taylor, P. J. (eds) Political studies from spatial perspectivesAnglo-American essays on political geography. Chichester: Wiley, 198 1. 5 19 pp. f 16.00 hardback; $8.50 paperback. This book originated in an Anglo-American seminar organized by the Political Geography Working Party at the Annual Conference of the IBG in 1980. Sixteen of the chapters are papers originally presented at that gathering and a further six have been added. The result is a volume intended to reflect the state of political geography at the beginning of the 1980s. The contributions are organized under four headings-Introductions, Orientations, Agendas and Applications-each preceded by a thoughtful and substantive introduction. Since the aim was to reflect the entire range of thinking and research in the subject, the editors have quite rightly avoided the temptation to superimpose any ideological or methodological constraints on the contributors. As a result they have achieved exactly what they set out to do-anyone wanting to know what is being done by political geographers today need go no further than this book. Inevitably, the chapters vary dramatically in methodology and topic and any reviewer’s comments must reflect personal prejudices and interests. It is good to see that the history of political geography’s development-a long-neglected but fascinating topic-is treated by Ron Johnston and Julian Minghi, though Johnston’s essay on the British Contribution since Mackinder seems unduly severe when it castigates writers of the 1950s and 1960s such as Prescott for not having the insights of the late 1970s. R. D. Sack writes in a stimulating fashion on the territorial approach to studies of power, though his paper becomes hurried and breathless towards the end. Michael Dear views the local state as an integral part of capitalist social relations and against this background discusses planning as a set of reactive remedial responses to the stresses and strains inherent in capitalist societies. Unfortunately his attempt to discuss electoral politics from this viewpoint is cursory to the point of incomprehension at times. Andrew Kirby’s brief paper offers some interesting ideas on planning inquiries as a research issue. He argues that the state has become a notable generator of large-scale negative externalities and that this can provoke the growth of ephemeral political organizations based on spatial rather than ideological cleavages. The resulting conflicts he suggests can be better understood if the planning system and the community are seen as competitors within the political system, the issues being clearly laid out at an inquiry and most success going to those with access to authority. The final section of the book tends to be dominated by papers with an empirical bias, though Colin Williams’ lengthy chapter on Quebec separatism is a masterly blend of both theoretical and empirical material. The traditional preoccupation with electoral geography is represented by O’Loughlin on the neighbourhood effect and Lemon on the South African elections of 1974 and 1977, two authors who in their contrasting approaches to the same field nicely reflect the catholic scope of the whole book. What does this volume reveal about the state of political geography in the early 198Os? Significantly, ‘Political Geography’ appears only in the subtitle, probably reflecting the holistic interdisciplinary approach of the contributors and the keen awareness of the political dimension now characteristic of human geographers in general. The book shows political geography to be more aware of other disciplines, more concerned with theory,
160
Book reviews
concept and technique than 20 years ago, but still a sprawling subject, characterized by a spatial perspective, and diverse in subject matter-in other words it is beginning to reflect the current state of geography as a whole, and this in itself is a considerable advance for what used to be a notoriously underdeveloped branch of the subject. M. A. Busteed School of Geography, University of Manchester Maull, H. Europe and world energy. London: European Research Centre, 1980. 342 pp.
Butterworths
in association
with the Sussex
This important book begins with the premise that the energy reserves of our planet are so abundant that their assessment hardly deserves much attention and that ‘the energy problem’ is concerned essentially with the mobilization of technologies to produce and use energy. While accepting that the process of adjustment to changes in the world’s energy demand and supply system will be much more difficult than historical precedents suggest, the author is most concerned with the decisions needed to manage the consequences of present energy structures over the next lo-15 years. Europe’s position, in a world energy context, is the focus of attention, but the emphasis is so much on hydro-carbons that ‘world oil’ rather than ‘world energy’ might have been more appropriate in the title. Hanns Maul1 accepts the view that it was the creation of a steadily growing energy supply deficit in the USA from 1970 to 1973 which caused the entry of the USA into the international oil market as a major importer, an event which precipitated the collapse of the preceding international structure of oil supply and demand. He argues that Western Europe, at the receiving end of most of the subsequent unfavourable changes, and with poor indigenous energy resources, has responded sluggishly and reluctantly-‘a response falling far short of the challenge’-and he sees a clear need to establish the setting, objectives and processes relevant to a future European international energy policy. These themes are developed in the four major parts into which the book is divided. In the first part, Western Europe’s indigenous energy supplies are surveyed, using data mainly for 1975-76. It is concluded that Europe’s dependence on imported energy supplies will continue at a high level, and that these needs can be met only by an international energy policy which transcends ‘purely commercial’ arrangements. Part Two (Chs 3-6) examines the nature of the trade patterns between the European Community and its main energy suppliers. An element of trading asymmetry in favour of Europe is identified, but a clear warning is given that the asymmetry is diffuse and difficult to transform into political leverage on specific issues. The political economy of oil in developing countries, the power aspects of international trade in oil, and the potential for cooperation and conflict between Europe and its oil suppliers are explored, the last prompting a cautiously optimistic view that both traders are likely to have a vested interest in cooperation. Section III deals with the objectives of a European energy policy and in separate chapters treats security and long-term availability of supply, price formation and evolution, prices and control. Section IV takes an even wider view, considering the management of energy problems in the context of the North-South dialogue, the Euro-Arab dialogue, Mediterranean policy, and trade relations with Iran. The section concludes with a cogently presented plea for international energy management (conceived as the coordination of national energy policies within an international framework) through an International Energy Council and an International Energy Fund. Some of the arguments in this last chapter may be contentious and, perhaps, utopian, but it is a thought-provoking chapter carrying clearly the author’s conviction that there is no realistic alternative to producer-consumer cooperation.
159
Book reviews Burnett, A. D. and Taylor, P. J. (eds) Political studies from spatial perspectivesAnglo-American essays on political geography. Chichester: Wiley, 198 1. 5 19 pp. f 16.00 hardback; $8.50 paperback. This book originated in an Anglo-American seminar organized by the Political Geography Working Party at the Annual Conference of the IBG in 1980. Sixteen of the chapters are papers originally presented at that gathering and a further six have been added. The result is a volume intended to reflect the state of political geography at the beginning of the 1980s. The contributions are organized under four headings-Introductions, Orientations, Agendas and Applications-each preceded by a thoughtful and substantive introduction. Since the aim was to reflect the entire range of thinking and research in the subject, the editors have quite rightly avoided the temptation to superimpose any ideological or methodological constraints on the contributors. As a result they have achieved exactly what they set out to do-anyone wanting to know what is being done by political geographers today need go no further than this book. Inevitably, the chapters vary dramatically in methodology and topic and any reviewer’s comments must reflect personal prejudices and interests. It is good to see that the history of political geography’s development-a long-neglected but fascinating topic-is treated by Ron Johnston and Julian Minghi, though Johnston’s essay on the British Contribution since Mackinder seems unduly severe when it castigates writers of the 1950s and 1960s such as Prescott for not having the insights of the late 1970s. R. D. Sack writes in a stimulating fashion on the territorial approach to studies of power, though his paper becomes hurried and breathless towards the end. Michael Dear views the local state as an integral part of capitalist social relations and against this background discusses planning as a set of reactive remedial responses to the stresses and strains inherent in capitalist societies. Unfortunately his attempt to discuss electoral politics from this viewpoint is cursory to the point of incomprehension at times. Andrew Kirby’s brief paper offers some interesting ideas on planning inquiries as a research issue. He argues that the state has become a notable generator of large-scale negative externalities and that this can provoke the growth of ephemeral political organizations based on spatial rather than ideological cleavages. The resulting conflicts he suggests can be better understood if the planning system and the community are seen as competitors within the political system, the issues being clearly laid out at an inquiry and most success going to those with access to authority. The final section of the book tends to be dominated by papers with an empirical bias, though Colin Williams’ lengthy chapter on Quebec separatism is a masterly blend of both theoretical and empirical material. The traditional preoccupation with electoral geography is represented by O’Loughlin on the neighbourhood effect and Lemon on the South African elections of 1974 and 1977, two authors who in their contrasting approaches to the same field nicely reflect the catholic scope of the whole book. What does this volume reveal about the state of political geography in the early 198Os? Significantly, ‘Political Geography’ appears only in the subtitle, probably reflecting the holistic interdisciplinary approach of the contributors and the keen awareness of the political dimension now characteristic of human geographers in general. The book shows political geography to be more aware of other disciplines, more concerned with theory,
160
Book reviews
concept and technique than 20 years ago, but still a sprawling subject, characterized by a spatial perspective, and diverse in subject matter-in other words it is beginning to reflect the current state of geography as a whole, and this in itself is a considerable advance for what used to be a notoriously underdeveloped branch of the subject. M. A. Busteed School of Geography, University of Manchester Maull, H. Europe and world energy. London: European Research Centre, 1980. 342 pp.
Butterworths
in association
with the Sussex
This important book begins with the premise that the energy reserves of our planet are so abundant that their assessment hardly deserves much attention and that ‘the energy problem’ is concerned essentially with the mobilization of technologies to produce and use energy. While accepting that the process of adjustment to changes in the world’s energy demand and supply system will be much more difficult than historical precedents suggest, the author is most concerned with the decisions needed to manage the consequences of present energy structures over the next lo-15 years. Europe’s position, in a world energy context, is the focus of attention, but the emphasis is so much on hydro-carbons that ‘world oil’ rather than ‘world energy’ might have been more appropriate in the title. Hanns Maul1 accepts the view that it was the creation of a steadily growing energy supply deficit in the USA from 1970 to 1973 which caused the entry of the USA into the international oil market as a major importer, an event which precipitated the collapse of the preceding international structure of oil supply and demand. He argues that Western Europe, at the receiving end of most of the subsequent unfavourable changes, and with poor indigenous energy resources, has responded sluggishly and reluctantly-‘a response falling far short of the challenge’-and he sees a clear need to establish the setting, objectives and processes relevant to a future European international energy policy. These themes are developed in the four major parts into which the book is divided. In the first part, Western Europe’s indigenous energy supplies are surveyed, using data mainly for 1975-76. It is concluded that Europe’s dependence on imported energy supplies will continue at a high level, and that these needs can be met only by an international energy policy which transcends ‘purely commercial’ arrangements. Part Two (Chs 3-6) examines the nature of the trade patterns between the European Community and its main energy suppliers. An element of trading asymmetry in favour of Europe is identified, but a clear warning is given that the asymmetry is diffuse and difficult to transform into political leverage on specific issues. The political economy of oil in developing countries, the power aspects of international trade in oil, and the potential for cooperation and conflict between Europe and its oil suppliers are explored, the last prompting a cautiously optimistic view that both traders are likely to have a vested interest in cooperation. Section III deals with the objectives of a European energy policy and in separate chapters treats security and long-term availability of supply, price formation and evolution, prices and control. Section IV takes an even wider view, considering the management of energy problems in the context of the North-South dialogue, the Euro-Arab dialogue, Mediterranean policy, and trade relations with Iran. The section concludes with a cogently presented plea for international energy management (conceived as the coordination of national energy policies within an international framework) through an International Energy Council and an International Energy Fund. Some of the arguments in this last chapter may be contentious and, perhaps, utopian, but it is a thought-provoking chapter carrying clearly the author’s conviction that there is no realistic alternative to producer-consumer cooperation.