Description
Many Americans today view the government as the savior of the environment. When it comes to protecting land, fish, and wildlife, the common response is to let government do it. The contributors to Government Versus the Environment encourage us to consider government in a different light by looking at clear instances of public programs that foster environmental destruction. They provide an in-depth look at of how the political process can adversely impact the quality of our environment and argue that the government's track record in managing natural resources has been and continues to be abysmal. The case studies in Government Versus the Environment will cause readers to think twice about the all-too-familiar calls for more government for the sake of the environment.
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Presents eight case studies in which U.S. government policy is implicated in negative environmental outcomes, in addition to one study of the World Bank. After an introductory chapter arguing that special interests working with political entrepreneurs are responsible for bad policy, chapters look at the banning of DDT, lack of property rights as the cause of overfishing, the encouragement of beachside development by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the government's encouragement of building in flood plains by offering federal flood insurance, and government programs attacking coyotes and prairie dogs. The implication is that the environment should be left to private interests. The editors are senior associates of the Political Economy Resource Center, a think tank funded by right-wing foundations such as the Sarah Scaife, Bradley, and Olin Foundations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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