Synopses & Reviews
Although humans have long depended on oceans and aquatic ecosystems for sustenance and trade, only recently has human influence on these resources dramatically increased, transforming and undermining oceanic environments throughout the world. Marine ecosystems are in a crisis that is global in scope, rapid in pace, and colossal in scale. In The Tragedy of the Commodity, sociologists Stefano B. Longo, Rebecca Clausen, and Brett Clark explore the role human influence plays in this crisis, highlighting the social and economic forces that are at the heart of this looming ecological problem.and#160;In a critique of the classic theory andldquo;the tragedy of the commonsandrdquo; by ecologist Garrett Hardin, the authors move beyond simplistic explanationsandmdash;such as unrestrained self-interest or population growthandmdash;to argue that it is the commodification of aquatic resources that leads to the depletion of fisheries and the development of environmentally suspect means of aquaculture. To illustrate this argument, the book features two fascinating case studiesandmdash;the thousand-year history of the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean and the massive Pacific salmon fishery. Longo, Clausen, and Clark describe how new fishing technologies, transformations in ships and storage capacities, and the expansion of seafood markets combined to alter radically and permanently these crucial ecosystems. In doing so, the authors underscore how the particular organization of social production contributes to ecological degradation and an increase in the pressures placed upon the ocean. The authors highlight the historical, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape how we interact with the larger biophysical world.and#160;A path-breaking analysis of overfishing, The Tragedy of the Commodity yields insight into issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change.and#160;
Review
andldquo;Whatever happened to overpopulation? Thomas Robertsonandrsquo;s thorough, lively, and superbly historicized account helps us think through this most pressing question.andquot;
Review
andquot;An excellent synthesis. The real strength of Robertson's work is his consideration of the dynamism and complexity of attitudes toward overpopulation. Writing a historical synthesis is never easy, but good environmental history demands it. Robertson has pulled the task off in spades.andquot;
Review
andquot;Skillfully weaving together heightened concerns over rampant consumerism,and#160;accelerating population growth and environmental degradation, and theirand#160;impact on American foreign policy, The Malthusian Moment is very likely toand#160;become obligatory reading for those interested in the tumultuous decadesand#160;of the Vietnam era.andquot;and#160;
Review
andquot;This volume traces how the sociopolitically-based environmental movement of the post-WW II era embraced the siren calls of biologists warning of the global impact of overpopulation. Recommended.andquot;
Review
andquot;The Malthusian Moment is a valuable book that brings environmental history in touch with diplomatic and international history, helping to fill a gap in our understanding of the rise and fall of population politics.andquot;
Review
andquot;Robertson explores complex linkages among global population growth, the politics of population, food and hunger, and American environmental anxiety in the 20th century. His is the clearest, most incisive study of American thinking on population from 1945-75, the height of Malthusian fears in intellectual and official circles.andquot;
Review
A marvelous collection of ideas and insights by first-rate scholars. This book lays a foundation for more creative and effective policy-making.
Review
andquot;Impressive and compelling. The historical, political, and ecological perspectives? offered in The Tragedy of the Commodity are vital to understanding the link between the and#39;tragedyand#39; inherent in many and#39;common propertyand#39; situations.andquot;
Review
andquot;The Tragedy of the Commodityand#160;is a timely, readable, comprehensive, and critical guide to what is wrong with our relationship with the sea and its creatures and what can be done to recreate this necessary relationship. A must read for anyone interested in knowing what is wrong with our relationship with the sea and how to go about changing it for the better.andquot;
Synopsis
The Malthusian Moment locates the origins of modern American environmentalism in a twentieth-century revival of interest in Thomas Malthusandrsquo;s theory of population growth, shedding new light on some of the big stories of postwar American life: the role of the federal government, urban and suburban problems, the Civil Rights and womenandrsquo;s movements, the role of scientists in a democracy, new attitudes about sex and sexuality, and the emergence of the andldquo;New Right.andrdquo;
and#160;
Synopsis
Winner of the 2017 Paul Sweezy Marxist Sociology Book Award from the American Sociological Association
Although humans have long depended on oceans and aquatic ecosystems for sustenance and trade, only recently has human influence on these resources dramatically increased, transforming and undermining oceanic environments throughout the world. Marine ecosystems are in a crisis that is global in scope, rapid in pace, and colossal in scale. In The Tragedy of the Commodity, sociologists Stefano B. Longo, Rebecca Clausen, and Brett Clark explore the role human influence plays in this crisis, highlighting the social and economic forces that are at the heart of this looming ecological problem. In a critique of the classic theory "the tragedy of the commons" by ecologist Garrett Hardin, the authors move beyond simplistic explanations--such as unrestrained self-interest or population growth--to argue that it is the commodification of aquatic resources that leads to the depletion of fisheries and the development of environmentally suspect means of aquaculture. To illustrate this argument, the book features two fascinating case studies--the thousand-year history of the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean and the massive Pacific salmon fishery. Longo, Clausen, and Clark describe how new fishing technologies, transformations in ships and storage capacities, and the expansion of seafood markets combined to alter radically and permanently these crucial ecosystems. In doing so, the authors underscore how the particular organization of social production contributes to ecological degradation and an increase in the pressures placed upon the ocean. The authors highlight the historical, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape how we interact with the larger biophysical world. A path-breaking analysis of overfishing, The Tragedy of the Commodity yields insight into issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change.
Synopsis
Although Rachel Carsonandrsquo;s
Silent Spring (1962) is often cited as the founding text of the U.S. environmental movement, in
The Malthusian Moment Thomas Robertson locates the origins of modern American environmentalism in twentieth-century adaptations of Thomas Malthusandrsquo;s concerns about population growth. For many environmentalists, managing population growth became the key to unlocking the most intractable problems facing Americans after World War IIandmdash;everything from war and the spread of communism overseas to poverty, race riots, and suburban sprawl at home.
Weaving together the international and the domestic in creative new ways, The Malthusian Moment charts the explosion of Malthusian thinking in the United States from World War I to Earth Day 1970, then traces the just-as-surprising decline in concern beginning in the mid-1970s. In addition to offering an unconventional look at World War II and the Cold War through a balanced study of the environmental movementandrsquo;s most contentious theory, the book sheds new light on some of the big stories of postwar American life: the rise of consumption, the growth of the federal government, urban and suburban problems, the civil rights and womenandrsquo;s movements, the role of scientists in a democracy, new attitudes about sex and sexuality, and the emergence of the andldquo;New Right.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Health care delivery in the United States is an enormously complex enterprise, and its $1.6 trillion annual expenditures involve a host of competing interests. While arguably the nation offers among the most technologically advanced medical care in the world, the American system consistently under performs relative to its resources. Gaps in financing and service delivery pose major barriers to improving health, reducing disparities, achieving universal insurance coverage, enhancing quality, controlling costs, and meeting the needs of patients and families.
Bringing together twenty-five of the nation’s leading experts in health care policy and public health, this book provides a much-needed perspective on how our health care system evolved, why we face the challenges that we do, and why reform is so difficult to achieve. The essays tackle tough issues including: socioeconomic disadvantage, tobacco, obesity, gun violence, insurance gaps, the rationing of services, the power of special interests, medical errors, and the nursing shortage.
Linking the nation’s health problems to larger political, cultural, and philosophical contexts, Policy Challenges in Modern Health Care offers a compelling look at where we stand and where we need to be headed.
Synopsis
The Tragedy of the Commodity explores the role of human agency in the overfishing crisis, highlighting the social and economic forces behind this looming ecological problem. In a critique of the classic theory andldquo;the tragedy of the commonsandrdquo; by ecologist Garrett Hardin, the authors argue that it is the commodification of aquatic resources that leads to the depletion of fisheries and the development of environmentally suspect means of aquaculture.
About the Author
STEFANO B. LONGO is an assistant professor of sociology at North Carolina State University at Raleigh.and#160;and#160;REBECCA CLAUSEN is an associate professor of sociology at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.and#160;and#160;BRETT CLARK is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and the author or co-author of three books, including The Ecological Rift.and#160;