6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An end-member perspective on environmental policy, April 2, 2007
This review is from: The Endangered Species Act: : History, Conservation, Biology, and Public Policy (Paperback)
I bought this slim, solidly-produced paperback because of its subject - one of the most important U.S. environmental laws, and authoritative subtitle: "History, Conservation Biology, and Public Policy". The preface by senior author, Czech, lets us know that this book started life as his PhD dissertation at the University of Arizona in 1997: "The Endangered Species Act, American Democracy, and an Omnibus Role for Public Policy". Coauthor Paul Krausman, a senior professor at the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources, was his major advisor.
A policy dissertation on such a complex and controversial law (300 or more pages long) would have surely been impossible had Czech not already been an experienced conservation biologist and manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Arizona - when he got intrigued with wildlife policy.
Czech mentions that "Paul and I decided to convert my dissertation into something more reader friendly". I suggest that while Czech and Krausman are clearly experts regarding this law and its subject area, the book is not likely to be considered user friendly by persons other than academic policy specialists. The authors write clearly and even colorfully at times. At other times they forget and drop in unexplained scientific or political science terminology(e.g. "haploid set of chromosomes"). Much of the book concerns policy design analysis. This can become especially abstruse when it launches into complex, social-science laden academese like the below example:
"Pluralism, policy sciences, public choice theory, and critical theory have produced analyses characterized by a lack of normative content, preoccupation with reductionist methods, illogical optimism in a free market, and little practical application, respectively."
As a policy researcher, myself, I was hoping that "History" would include information on how and by whom ESA was written, and something about debates that may have gone on during committee hearings. Unfortunately, though a brief summary of earlier laws, (generically dismissed as "toothless") is given, we learn little more about legislative history of ESA itself beyond the fact that the 1973 law was first sponsored by Representative John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, passed by overwhelming margins by Congress, and signed by President Richard Nixon.
The authors have strong preservationist and political views. The treatment would have benefited from a leavening of pros and cons, or alternative opinion. But where other views or stakeholders are mentioned it is often only in dismissive terms, e.g. "By definition, a degenerative subset of wealthy contenders strategize and hide agendas when ESA stands in the way of profits"
The authors offer some 13 recommendations for change in the ESA law, all of which would apparently toughen the law and its penalties. In fact, the authors come right out and say that policymakers should replace incentives for economic growth by barriers to economic growth in society generally. They seem unaware that such attitudes can breed antagonism and hostility in those who aren't supported by Federal government or academic positions. This, in turn, may reduce cooperation and limit funding for enforcement - which they regard as too low. In the view of author Daniel Fiorino, heavy-handed policy approaches that limit innovation are now outdated. European models that emphasize cooperation have in many cases left the U.S. behind. I do value the treatment as an example of an end member perspective on wildlife policy.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful introduction to policy issues (Kindle Edition), December 24, 2009
One of the reasons I got the Kindle DX was to read professional textbooks I normally would not have time for. With the Kindle, I effectively take my texts everywhere, meaning I have many more chances to read than I did before (meetings, on planes, etc). The book by Czech and Krausman was the first book I read on the Kindle DX, and I was more than satisfied with the text, both in terms of content and how it reads on the Kindle.
As a college professor working on conservation biology in the field, reading a book whose primary focus was on policy was something of a novel experience for me. While I found some of the concepts and ideas unusual, most of the text provided a solid grounding in the history of the ESA and how it is viewed from a policy expert's viewpoint. Although I found some of the conclusions suspect (especially their ideas of how to prioritize species for protection under the ESA), most of the rest of the book was pretty interesting. The sections on legal issues and historical development were especially interesting, and could provide solid material for discussions by my graduate students.
Reading the KIndle edition was an enjoyable experience; the larger size of the DX made reading the text similar to what reading a "real" book would have been like, with the added benefits of bookmarking sections for future reference and looking up new terms. Tables were formatted correctly, as were references. This book contained few figures or photos, so I can't comment on how those were rendered.
Overall, I would recommend the book to graduate students and professional conservation biologists who want to learn more about the policy aspects of ESA, and at a reasonable cost (especially for the Kindle edition)
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Endangered Species Act, October 11, 2008
This review is from: The Endangered Species Act: : History, Conservation, Biology, and Public Policy (Paperback)
This book is quite informative of the issues revolving around the Endangered Species Act.
The Endangered species Act is endangered itself, with the goal to weaken its impact currently underway.
Currently, it is the best source of over all information about the Act.
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