Book Notes – Economics and Social Sciences

J Consum Policy (2007) 30:435–444 DOI 10.1007/s10603-007-9048-z Book Notes – Economics and Social Sciences Published online: 23 October 2007 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2007 Zoltan J. Acs & Alan Lyles (Eds.): Obesity, business and public policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84542-500-5. 288 pp., GBP 69.95. This reader aims to provide an alternative framework through which to explore the controversial obesity debate that has spilled over from the medical community to politics. The 13 original contributions compiled in this book explore the rising trend of obesity in the US in terms of its significant economic and social consequences. The web of underlying causes of the “infrastructure of obesity” is described as lying with public policy decisions, economics factors, and profit opportunities as well as the more obvious nutrition and health choices of individuals. Approaches of prevention and treatment of this pandemic are tackled from the perspectives of businesses, governments, society, and the individual. The taxation, marketing, cultural, ethical, and institutional dimensions of obesity are also addressed. Russell W. Belk (Ed.): Handbook of qualitative research methods in marketing. Cheltenham/Northampton: Edward Elgar, 2006. ISBN 1-84542-100-0. 595 pp., GBP 150.00. The Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing offers both basic and advanced treatments intended to serve academics, students, and marketing research professionals. The 42 chapters begin with a history of qualitative methods in marketing and continue with detailed discussions of current thought and practice in: research paradigms such as grounded theory and semiotics; research contexts such as advertising and brands; data collection methods such as projection and ethnography, data analysis methods such as metaphoric and visual analyses, presentation topics such as videography L. Reisch (*) Department of Intercultural Communication and Management, Copenhagen Business School, Porcelaenshaven 18, 1, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark e-mail: lr.ikl@cbs.dk 436 L. Reisch and reflexivity, applications such as depth interviews with executives, special issues such as multi-sited ethnography, and research on sensitive topics. Karl-Werner Brand (Ed.): Die neue Dynamik des Bio-Markts. Folgen der Agrarwende im Bereich Landwirtschaft, Verarbeitung, Handel, Konsum und Ernährungskommunikation. Vol. 1. Munich: oekom, 2006. ISBN 978-3-86581-039-7. 256 pp., EUR 34.80; and: Von der Agrarwende zur Konsumwende? Die Kettenperspektive. Vol. 2. Munich: oekom, 2006. ISBN 978-3-86581-040-7. 197 pp., EUR 29.80. In reaction to the BSE crisis the former red-green government of Germany has proclaimed a radical change in agrarian policy (“Agrarwende”) in spring 2001. A basic element of this change was the planned rapid expansion of organic farming (“from three to 20% in ten years”). Such a change also calls for a profound change in consumption patterns. The two volumes present the findings of a research project which has studied the effects of this programme on the different actors along the food supply chain and on the system of organic food production and consumption as a whole. The most visible effect is an unprecedented dynamic of the organic food market, propelled by the introduction of a new national ecolabel in 2002. Although the expansion of organic farming remained much behind the original target envisaged by the government, this new dynamic lead to an increasing differentiation both among organic farmers and retailers. Whereas this makes it easier for consumers to buy organic food, it endangers the “authenticity” of organic products. In the eyes of many consumers, the new state-controlled eco-label does not symbolize the particular benefits of organic farming in terms of environmental protection, adequate livestock management, preservation of nature, and promotion of regional economies in a trustworthy way. To promote a change towards a more sustainable pattern of food consumption, an intensive public debate on a new vision of “sustainable farming and nutrition” is called for. Emma Casey & Lydia Martens (Eds.): Gender and consumption. Domestic cultures and the commercialisation of everyday life. Aldershot/Burlington: Ashgate, 2007. ISBN 978-07546-4386-9. 256 pp., GBP 55.00. Drawing upon anthropological, sociological, and historical perspectives, this volume provides insights into women’s domestic consumption. The contributors argue that domestic consumption represents an important lens through which to examine the everyday production and reproduction of socio-economic relations. Through a variety of case studies (such as gambling, wedding day consumption, and bedroom décor), the essays explore and reconsider the nature of public and private spaces, and the subsequent nature of domestic space, often by challenging traditional notions of what constitutes “the domestic.” The volume demonstrates the broad range of experiences that domestic consumption offers to women and reveals some of the complex meanings and motivations underpinning women’s consumption practices. The book is organized in three parts: The commercialisation of domestic life in historical perspective; private/public dynamics in gender and consumption; gender and the material culture of the domestic sphere. Philip J. Cook: Paying the tab: The costs and benefits of alcohol control. Woodstock: Princeton University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-691-12520-6. 278 pp., GBP 19.95. Over the last few decades, efforts to reduce the societal costs of curbing youth drinking and cracking down on drunk driving have been somewhat effective, but still incomplete as the author argues. American policymakers have largely ignored the influence of the supply side of the equation. Beer and liquor are far cheaper and more readily available today than in the 1950s and 1960s. Cook chronicles the history of the diverse attempts to “legislate Book Notes 437 morality,” the overlooked lessons from Prohibition, and the rise of Alcoholics Anonymous. He also provides an overview of the scientific evidence that has accumulated over the last 25 years of economic and public-health research. This research demonstrates that higher alcohol excise taxes and other supply restrictions are effective and underutilized policy tools that can cut abuse while preserving the pleasures of moderate consumption. Helga Dittmar (Ed.): Consumer culture, identity and well-being. The search for the “good life” and the “body perfect.” European Monographs in Social Psychology Series. Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-84169-608-9. 271 pp., GBP 29.95. This reader documents the negative psychological impact consumer culture can have on how individuals view themselves and on their emotional welfare. It looks at the social psychological dimensions of having, buying, and wanting material goods, as well as the pursuit of media-hyped appearance ideals. In particular, the contributions look at the purchasing of material goods as a means of expressing and seeking identity, on psychological buying motivations in conventional buying environments and on the Internet, on the unrealistic sociocultural beauty ideals embodied by idealized models, and how these create body dissatisfaction. Special focus is given to psychological functions of material possessions; psychological motives for buying consumer goods; and compulsive buying and identity seeking. Jakob Edler (Ed.): Bedürfnisse als Innovationsmotor. Konzepte und Instrumente nachfrageorientierter Innovationspolitik. Studien des Büros für Technikfolgen-Abschätzung beim Deutschen Bundestag Series. Berlin: edition sigma, 2007. ISBN 978-3-89404-830-3. 359 pp., EUR 25.90. This is a report on “Needs as an engine for innovation: Concepts and instruments of demand oriented innovation policy.” The authors analyse the potential of the four general approaches governments can take to stimulate business innovations, namely: public procurement of innovative products and services; demand side subsidies and tax reductions; information, competence and knowledge building of the demand side; and regulation with its direct and indirect effects. The report compares these approaches in the innovation policies of the UK, Sweden, Finland, the US, and Germany. Special focus is given to innovations in sustainable energy technologies, biotechnology, as well as information and communication technologies. Based on this, a policy action plan for a demand side innovation policy in Germany is proposed. Walter Leal Filho (Ed.): Innovation, education and communication for sustainable development. Frankfurt/Main: Peter Lang, 2006. ISBN 3-631-55644-6. 786 pp., EUR 88.00. Education for Sustainable Development presents a vision of education that seeks to empower people to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future. There are many different stakeholders in sustainable development whose participation is essential if longterm developments are to be achieved: governments and intergovernmental bodies, the mass media, the civil society and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and formal education institutions (i.e., schools, universities, research and training institutes). But despite the need for concerted efforts, truly cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary projects and practical activities are seldom seen. The 36 chapters of this reader combine approaches, methods, and analyses which illustrate the contribution of innovation, education, and communication to the cause of sustainable development. It is prepared as part of the INTERREG IIIB (North Sea) Project «SmartLIFE», a partnership between three EU regions Germany, Sweden, and the UK. 438 L. Reisch Kerstin Föll: Consumer Insight. Emotionspsychologische Fundierung und praktische Anleitung zur Kommunikationsentwicklung. Wiesbaden: Gabler/DUV, 2007. ISBN 978-38350-0686-7. 336 pp., EUR 55.90. “Consumer insight” is a very popular and much discussed term within the advertising and marketing community. But, as it has been neglected by academic research to date, the term isn’t used consistently and is often misunderstood. In this book, the concept of consumer insight is systematically defined. The term describes an enlightening insight into the true motives of consumers for buying and using certain products and brands. Consumer insight is presented as key to the development of relevant communication messages. Since it relates to consumer behaviour constructs such as feelings, wants, and desires, consumer insight provides a platform for an emotional communication approach. The book explains the concept and the creative process of discovering one. Findings are based on theories of consumer behaviour, psychology of emotions, neuro marketing, and qualitative research. An empirical study shows that in marketing practice, the process of discovering the consumer insight often lacks structure and systematics. Jörg Henseler: Das Wechselverhalten von Konsumenten im Strommarkt. Eine empirische Untersuchung direkter und moderierender Effekte. Wiesbaden: DUV, 2007. ISBN 978-38350-0266-1. 216 pp., EUR 49.90. By the end of the 1990s, the German electricity market was officially liberalized, and German consumers could switch their electricity provider. While the involved actors – providers, new providers, consumer associations, market intermediaries, politics, and scientists – expected many customers to switch, only a marginal percentage actually took the chance to save money. Ad hoc explanations focused on consumer inertia. However, this book shows that customer inertia alone cannot explain the decision to switch or not to switch. Instead, drawing on relationship marketing and social exchange theory, the author identifies four relevant factors: customer satisfaction, perceived switching costs, the attractiveness of the alternatives, and customers’ involvement in the product category. The author develops a model of direct and moderating effects, and tests this model empirically by means of analyzing telephone interviews with more than 900 electricity customers. For the quantitative analysis, PLS path modelling was applied. Based on the results, the author gives recommendations to the involved parties of how to act in the electricity market. Geoffrey Hunt & Michael Mehta (Eds.): Nanotechnology. Risk, ethics and law. London: Earthscan, 2006. ISBN 1-84407-358-0. 296 pp., GBP 34.95. Nanotechnology, i.e., technology at the molecular level, is held out by many as the Holy Grail for creating a trillion dollar economy and solving problems from curing cancer to reprocessing waste into products and building super-fast computers. Yet, as with GMOs, many view nanotech as a high risk technology that once unleashed has the potential to cause unpredictable, perhaps irreversible, environmental and public health disasters. With the race to bring products to market, there is need to take stock of the situation and to have a full public debate about this new technological frontier. This book claims to be the first global overview of the state of nanotech and society in Europe, the USA, Japan, and Canada, examining the ethics, the environmental and public health risks, and the governance and regulation of this most promising, and potentially most dangerous, of all technologies. Tim Jackson (Ed.): The Earthscan Reader in sustainable consumption. London: Earthscan, 2006. ISBN 1-84407-164-2. 402 pp., GBP 22.95. Politically, intellectually, and socially, sustainable consumption is a controversial concept. Consumption drives our economies and defines our lives, and making it sustainable is an Book Notes 439 enormous challenge. It was a key subject covered at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, which set in place a 10-year programme of effort by national governments to develop strategies for sustainable consumption and production. The problem of how to influence consumer behaviour in the direction of more sustainable choices continues to challenge both opinion formers and policy makers alike. This reader provides a synthesis of key contributions to the literature on consumption and sustainability, comprising a substantive collection of selected papers and extracts from books, journals, and institutional publications. Presented with a comprehensive introductory overview written by the editor, the book also provides a “route map” through the complex intellectual terrain relevant to the pursuit of sustainable consumption. The 25 chapters are grouped into four parts: Framing sustainable consumption (including a chapter by the editor on “challenges for sustainable consumption policy”), resisting consumerism (with seminal contributions by Fred Hirsch and Alan Durning), resisting simplicity (with contributions by Daniel Miller, Mary Douglas, Grant McCracken, and Colin Campbell), and reframing sustainable consumption (with articles by Laurie Michaelis and Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi). Michael Jäckel (Ed.): Ambivalenzen des Konsums und der werblichen Kommunikation. Konsumsoziologie und Massenkultur Series. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 2007. ISBN 978-3-531-15272-1. 227 pp., EUR 34.90. From the beginnings, consumer society has been coming along by a “deep ambivalence, or sometimes even by an open defiance with respect to the phenomenon of consumption.” This description by a British researcher has not lost its actuality. On the one side, there is high agreement on consumption, valuation of affluent goods, and enthusiasm towards brands; on the other side, there is refusal and scepticism regarding the permanent exhibition of goods and their unfair costs. It is the consumer who is confronted with all these contradictions facing an increasing variety of products and goods and a multitude of options. This situation is often described as a kind of mental overload. This book deals with consumption ambivalences and contradictions in many aspects and illustrates historical as well as current controversies about the importance of consumption from the perspectives of sociology and communication research. The articles are concerned with problems of decision-making in different consumption fields and the ways advertising strategies tries to reach attention from more or less critical consumers. Juliane Jörissen & Reinhard Coenen: Sparsame und schonende Flächennutzung. Entwicklung und Steuerbarkeit des Flächenverbrauchs. Berlin: Edition Sigma, 2007. ISBN 978-3-89404-829-7. 282 pp., EUR 22.90. What are the impacts of the high land use rate for settlement and transportation on ecological soil functions, on biodiversity, on landscape, and on the whole ecological balance of the area? What are the economic and social consequences of urban sprawl in view of the demographic development and a shrinking population? What kind of tools could be suitable to put the required trend reversal in land consumption into practice? These questions are in the focus of the present study commissioned by the German Parliament. The authors give a review on the development of land use in recent years, its driving forces and the reform proposals, which were introduced into the ongoing debate on land management in Germany. Among these rank planning, fiscal and informational instruments as well as new forms of intercommunal co-operation on a regional level, financial promotion of urban renewal, and the creation of economic incentives for a prudent and sparing land use by municipalities and private investors. In the last chapter the economic impacts of different instruments and sets of instruments are analysed as well as their potential quantitative share to reach the “30-ha-goal” of the Federal Government. 440 L. Reisch Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, & Brett Johnson: The better world handbook. Small changes that make a big difference, rev. ed. Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers, 2007. ISBN 978-0-86571-575-2. 320 pp., USD 18.95. This handbook wants to be a guide for the average person aiming to make a positive difference in the world. The book is specifically designed for well-intentioned people who may be too busy to be actively involved in social change organizations. The intention is to reach people who normally would not consider themselves activists, people who care about creating a more just and socially responsible world for everyone but don't know where to begin. The seven foundations of “a better world” are: economic fairness, comprehensive peace, ecological sustainability, deep democracy, social justice, simple living, and revitalized community. To reach these goals, the handbook provides practical advise on: money and banking, shopping, food, personal living, friends and family, community, religion, home, work, media, politics, transportation, travel, and involvement in organizations. Allan J. Kimmel: Ethical issues in behavioural research. Basic and applied perspectives, 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4051-3439-2. 405 pp., GBP 29.99. Ethical considerations have a formidable influence on planning and conducting research. Concerns over the ethical dimensions of behavioural research have risen dramatically, resulting in significant developments in ethical codification and the research review process. The ever-changing nature of the ethical climate in research coincides with the increased sensitivity to ethics in other domains such as those involving global corporations, politics, and marketing. An adherence to basic values of integrity represents a fundamental concern for behavioural researchers. This new edition focuses on the research community’s response to currents professional and public demands, the issues imposed by new research technologies, and the ethical challenges that arise in the application of research approaches. Additionally, attention is given to some of the ethical issues and conflicts encountered in cross-cultural research, reflecting the increase of fundamental and applied researchers conducting studies in foreign settings. Unni Kjærnes, Mark Harvey, & Alan Warde: Trust in food. A comparative and institutional analysis. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4039-9891-0. 228 pp., GBP 45.00. Scandals in food, growth of supermarket power, new technologies, and the obesity problem have shaken popular trust in food across Europe. The BSE epidemic, concern over GM foods, dioxin scares, and avian flu have placed consumer trust and how to restore it at the top of government agendas. Uncovering differences between six European countries (Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, and Portugal), the book examines these issues to challenge the idea of the consumer as a sovereign individual and to demonstrate how consumption is institutionalized within societies. Till Kreutzer: Verbraucherschutz bei digitalen Medien. Berlin: Berliner WissenschaftsVerlag, 2007. ISBN 978-3-8305-1354-4. 207 pp., EUR 29.90. The legal study entitled “Consumer Protection in Digital Media” examines whether and to what extent the consumer interest is adversely affected by the providers of digital copyrighted content. For this purpose, a variety of use and licensing conditions, transparency issues, and technical protection measures related to various types of digital content marketing services and copyrighted products are screened. The study also covers issues such as digital rights in music download services, commercial electronic Book Notes 441 publications, online archives, audio and image media, software, and eBooks. Selected examples of contract stipulations are examined for their compatibility with consumer protection regulations and copyright limitations. Cordula Kropp, Frank Schiller, & Jost Wagner (Eds.): Die Zukunft der Wissenskommunikation. Perspektiven für einen reflexiven Dialog von Wissenschaft und Politik - am Beispiel des Agrarbereichs. Berlin: Edition Sigma, 2007. ISBN 978-3-89404-550-0. 286 pp., EUR 18.90. Since uncertainty, complexity, and ambivalence of future orientated decision making gets more and more obvious, the dialogue between science and politics and its ability to actively deal with risks, unwanted side effects, and value issues is of growing importance. Taking the agricultural sector as an example, this book discusses new models of interface communication between the two spheres. It develops criteria for a successful and reflexive knowledge exchange and describes institutional conditions which can promote such an exchange. Doing so, it focuses on new requirements to scientific policy consulting, asks for the role of agricultural expertise in the political process, and searches for a new selfunderstanding within the production and communication of knowledge. As contributors, the book assembles both, representatives of the science policy debate as well as experienced policy consulters and thereby gives a elaborated insight in theory and practice of interface communication between since and politics in the German agricultural and consumer policy sector. Paula M. Niedenthal, Silvia Krauth-Gruber, & François Ric: Psychology of emotion. Interpersonal, experiential, and cognitive approaches. New York: Psychology Press, 2006. ISBN 1-84169-402-9. 432 pp., GBP 19.95. This textbook discusses fundamental issues in the definition and measurement of emotion, including: conscious and unconscious processes; the ways in which emotions arise in, and are constrained by, social situations and social processes; the regulation and sharing of emotion and their effects of mental health; and the manner in which culture (including subculture) shapes or moderates some of these processes. The book also focuses on the component processes of emotion, their functions, and the ways in which these interact with the social environment. Rather than deny either that emotions are biologically determined or that they are culturally created or shaped, both biology and social situation are treated as important forces in the elicitation and the experience of emotion. Each section of the book is structured around specific approaches or models, and the precise questions that they were constructed to address. The theories and models are also placed in their in historical context. Discussion of the different approaches is elaborated by summaries of the extant scientific evidence, as well as examples of specific experiments or studies that were designed to evaluate the question. Ralf Reichwald, Anton Meyer, Marc Engelmann, & Dominik Walcher: Der Kunde als Innovationspartner. Konsumenten integrieren, Flop-Raten reduzieren, Angebote verbessern. Wiesbaden: Gabler, 2007. ISBN 978-3-8349-0070-8. 184 pp., EUR 42.00. In many industry sectors, two out of three innovations flop. Not meeting the customers' needs can be seen as the number one reason for this. Within the last years more and more companies have open up their often hermetically sealed innovation departments to integrate external partners. Besides suppliers, universities or even competitors, customers can be seen as promising sources of innovation (Keyword: Open Innovation). Many empirical studies show that the early integration of customers into the product development process significantly raises the probability for success of an innovation. The book describes the 442 L. Reisch principles of open innovation and customer integration and illustrates the processes with the help of two case studies (the sports equipment manufacturer Adidas; the media company SevenOneMedia). Additional customer integration approaches are introduced and implications for practical experience are given. Frieder Rubik & Paolo Frankl (Eds.): The future of eco-labelling. Making environmental product information systems effective. Sheffield: Greenleaf, 2005. ISBN 1-874719-87-X. 357 pp., GBP 35.00. Eco-labelling is one of the key tools used to encourage more sustainable production and consumption. By providing environmental information on products and services, eco-labels address both business users and consumers. However, many eco-labelling schemes have had troubled histories, and questions have been raised about their effectiveness. Based on a major EU research exercise, the book plots a course to address some of the historic problems with eco-labelling, to learn what works and what doesn’t, and to move forward with schemes that can make a real difference to sustainable production and consumption. The book analyses the conditions under which eco-labelling schemes can become an efficient and effective tool to achieve given objectives; assesses previous experiences with eco-labels in different European countries and the relationship of these schemes with business strategies, Integrated Product Policy and market conditions; defines strategies aimed at linking eco-labels with other environmental policy measures; explores how eco-labels can be used to encourage sustainable consumption patterns, create green markets, foster innovation and development of green products and services, and implement multistakeholder initiatives; and sets out detailed recommendations for the future of eco-labelling. Gad Saad: The evolutionary bases of consumption. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, 2007. ISBN 0-8058-5150-X. 330 pp., GBP 22.95. This book applies Darwinian principles in understanding consumption patterns and the production of popular culture that most appeal to individuals. It focuses on the adaptive reasons behind consumers’ behaviours, cognitions, emotions, and perceptions. This lens of analysis suggests how consumers come to make selections such as choosing a mate, choosing food and gifts, and more. It also highlights the dark sides of consumption, including pathological gambling, compulsive buying, and eating disorders. The book maps consumption phenomena onto four key Darwinian modules: survival, reproduction, kin selection, and reciprocal altruism. The link between evolutionary theory and consumption behaviour is detailed via an examination of, e.g., appearance-enhancing products and services, financial and physical risktaking, the media, and consumption. Dirk Scheer & Frieder Rubik (Eds.): Governance of integrated product policy. In search of sustainable production and consumption. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1874719-32-2. 377 pp., GBP 35.00. European policy patterns are in a state of transformation. New governance models are shifting power away from states and toward the involvement of all stakeholders and the idea of shared responsibility. What's in this new approach for the environment? This book provides a detailed analysis of the example of integrated product policy (IPP) which aims to improve the environmental performance of products and services through their life-cycle. All products cause environmental degradation in some way, whether from their manufacturing, use, or disposal. The life-cycle of a product is often long and complicated. It covers all the areas from the extraction of natural resources, through their design, manufacture, assembly, marketing, distribution, sale and use to their eventual disposal as Book Notes 443 waste. At the same time it also involves many different actors such as designers, manufacturers, marketers, retailers, and consumers. IPP attempts to systematically stimulate each phase of this complicated chain to improve its environmental performance. The book is divided into four parts. First, the approach to the governance of IPP is examined in relation to other approaches to sustainable production and consumption. Second, the widely differing approaches to environmental product policy in practice at national, supranational and global level are analysed. Third, the book explores the challenge of designing a coherent policy mix to support the integration of sustainable consumption and production patterns by sector and theme. Finally, the book concentrates on the key issue of how to involve stakeholders in IPP in order to encourage continuous innovations for sustainability throughout the value chain. Eliot R. Smith & Diane M. Mackie: Social psychology, 3rd ed. New York: Psychology Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84169-409-2. 688 pp., GBP 24.95. This textbook covers classic, contemporary, and emerging topics in social psychology. The focus is on underlying, unifying principles that operate across topics, rather than treatment of each topic in isolation, a focus that reflects the increasingly cross-disciplinary developments within and beyond psychology. An emphasis on research carried out in different parts of the world and sensitivity to cross-cultural perspectives highlights the internationalization of the field in recent years. In addition, the text offers real-world applications of scientific principles to areas such as marketing, law, education, and health. Throughout, the discussion conceptually integrates the pervasive impact of social groups on all aspects of social behaviour. This new edition is supported by an extensive online Social Psychology Student Learning Programme (SocSLP) and CD-ROM based Instructor Resources, both of which are free of charge to qualifying adopters. Klaus Peter Treumann, Dorothee M. Meister, Uwe Sander, Eckhard Burkatzki, Jörg Hagedorn, Manuela Kämmerer, Mareike Strotmann, & Claudia Wegener: Medienhandeln Jugendlicher. Mediennutzung und Medienkompetenz. Bielefelder Medienkompetenzmodell. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 2007. ISBN 978-3-531-15293-6. 808 pp., EUR 78.00. This is a comprehensive book on media use by young consumers aged between twelve and 20 years. Based on cluster analysis, seven types of young media consumers (the allrounder, the education oriented, the consumption oriented, the communication oriented, the socially deprived, the creative, and the non-positionable) are distinguished and their media use is profiled. The empirical study is based on a questionnaire study of 3000 teens as well as of qualitative in-depth interviews. Ellen Vos & Frank Wendler (Eds.): Food safety regulation in Europe. A comparative institutional analysis. Oxford: Intersentia, 2006. ISBN 978-90-5095-636-9. 470 pp., EUR 88.00. The past decade has seen the regulation of food safety within the European Union face unprecedented challenges, such as BSE, the contamination of food with dioxins, and the increasing occurrence of infectious agents like Salmonella, as well as the emergence of new products and technologies (genetically modified food) and a heightened sensitivity of the public towards biotechnology and animal welfare. As a consequence, most European countries and the EU institutions have witnessed major reforms to their regulatory systems on food safety, often characterised by a stricter separation of the scientific and political components of risk analysis, a reference to the precautionary principle, and a stronger commitment to the principles of transparency, participation, and accountability. Against this 444 L. Reisch background, this book investigates the legal and institutional structures of food safety regulation and their recent developments in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, and at the EU level. The choice of countries is intended to shed light on the different ways in which European systems of food safety regulation have been affected by major food scares: Where France, the UK, Germany, and the EU were the main actors in the 1996 BSE crisis, Sweden was left untouched, and Hungary entered the EU only after the outbreak of the crisis. In addition, the book provides insights into how the various actors perceive the practical functioning of these systems. Special attention is given to how the different regulatory frameworks address challenges related to scientific uncertainty and socio-political ambiguity, the interaction of different levels of governance, and the principles of good governance. Petra Warschburger, Franz Petermann, & Carmen Fromme: Adipositas. Training mit Kindern und Jugendlichen, 2nd ed. Weinheim: Beltz, 2005. ISBN 3-621-27489-8. 225 pp., EUR 39.90. Treatment of childhood obesity does not only mean a reduction of weight, but it must include a profound and sustainable change in children’s dietary and physical activity habits. The book is a hands-on practical guide on how to conduct behaviour trainings with obese children aged eleven to 15 years. The training programme presented was specifically developed for children of this age group and has been running since several years in German clinics. Its aim is to modify dietary habits, i.e., when, how, why, and what is eaten, as well as to increase physical activity and change activity patterns. The guide comes with a CD-ROM containing the full programme. Heinz-Jörg Wiegand: Die Agrar- und Energiewende. Bilanz- und Geschichte rot-grüner Projekte. Frankfurt/Main: Peter Lang, 2006. ISBN 978-3-631-55713-6. 438 pp., EUR 68.50. The dissertation analyses the fundamental policy change in German agricultural policy termed “Agrarwende,” which has been one of the most visible products of the social democrat and green party coalition in German policy of the early 2000s. The author looks particularly on the policy actors – political parties, institutions, lobby groups – and their relative influence and diverging interests in the policy processes.