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Judith A. Rees, Natural Resources: Allocation, Economics and Policy (London and New York: Methuen, 1985, £14.95). Pp. 449. ISBN 0 416 32000 7.

Natural Resources provides a comprehensive introduction to this complex subject. Judith Rees sets out clearly the different issues, and is scrupulously fair in assessing some of the more recent and alarmist developments in this field. She gives a painstaking explanation of the different types of resources including what she terms stock and renewable resources and assesses the problems, their nature and likely solutions. The use of analysis rather than emotion in approaching these topics is most welcome, and the last chapter, with subtitles of" Some false issues" and "The real issues," summarizes the book's approach. As the author says, the book is not" in the' resource doom' school... [but] its conclusions will be regarded as pessimistic by all those who feel disadvantaged by the established resource allocation system." The conclusion from analysis of the present system is that nothing much is likely to change. Judith Rees uses her considerable experience in resource management to provide a clear picture of the environmental and resource issues at stake, and to examine the economic forces which have shaped recent history. She considers and assesses different policies, including different measures of pollution control and conservation, as well as highlighting what she calls the "hidden policy agenda" or party and personal politics. Different styles of government and their policies towards natural resources are described, as well as the more recent growth of pressure groups. The book does not dismiss the concerns of what is popularly known as the "green" lobby, but it does subject them to analytical inspection. However, the analysis itself poses something of an enigma. Despite the author's attempts to make the study interdisciplinary, the book draws heavily on economic analysis, and provides a useful introduction to the issues involved. But the depth and rigour of the analysis does not match the impressive detail with which the subject and numerous examples are presented. Indeed, the presentation might occasionally lead an unwary reader to misinterpret the economic analysis and assumptions concerned. This raises the question of the book's usefulness for different audiences. It is too solid in style and content to be anything other than a textbook (though many involved in the popular "environmental" debate would doubtless benefit from its approach), and yet it is not rigorous enough to be a complete text for "professional" students. Nevertheless it does provide a wealth of facts on natural resources, and a useful introduction to the relevant economic concepts.