| Review of: | Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy: History of a Paradigm Change by I. Garzon |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Carsten Daugbjerg |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 02/11/2007 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 03, Pages 745-769 |
Book Reviews
Isabelle Garzon has a background in the European Commission where she has worked for 12 years. She was an adviser to former Trade Commissioner Lamy for five years. The book draws on her insider knowledge of common agricultural policy (CAP) reform processes, but also draws strongly on the academic literature on the CAP and engages in the academic discussion on the driving forces behind its reform. This anchoring of insider knowledge within the academic literature makes the book an important contribution to this debate.
In the introduction, Garzon presents the topic of the book which is to explain why and how the CAP, after more than 30 years of stability, changed three times between 1992 and 2003 and to account for how far the changes went. In chapter 2 she outlines the theoretical framework which she describes as a 'multi-level, multi-issue and multi-lateral bargaining framework, complemented by policy network analysis' (p. 2). Chapters 3-8 describe the institutional context of EU agricultural policy and policy development since the late 1950s. The last part of the book (chapters 9-11) is concerned with explaining the way in which the CAP has evolved since the early 1990s, applying discourse analysis, policy feedback process analysis and policy network analysis.
The history of CAP reform requires more than one theory to be fully understood. Garzon applies a set of theories but omits to combine them into a coherent theoretical framework. This leaves the reader with unanswered questions on the way in which new discourses, change in policy networks and policy feedback processes combined to bring about CAP reforms. The concluding chapter (chapter 13) attempts to link the theories but this is done in a loose way and occurs too late in the book.
Chapter 12 is devoted to establishing whether the underlying paradigm of the CAP has changed. Garzon argues that there has been a change from the 'dependent' to the 'multifunctional' agriculture paradigm. This interpretation is questionable. Like the dependent agriculture paradigm, the multifunctional paradigm is based on the view that agriculture is an exceptional industry because of unique market and production conditions and therefore requires special treatment. Thus, rather than being a new paradigm, the multifunctional paradigm can be seen as an attempt to disguise the dependent agriculture paradigm as the true foundation of the CAP.
Nevertheless, the book is very useful for teaching purposes because it accounts very well for the development of the CAP, and by applying different theories on policy change it triggers debate on the driving forces behind CAP reforms.