2013 Levine Prize announced
July 17, 2013 — The Levine Prize for books published in 2012 has been awarded to The Politics of Precaution: Regulating Health, Safety, and Environmental Risks in Europe and the United States (Princeton University Press, 2012), by David Vogel. Vogel is a professor in Political Science and the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
This year’s prize committee was composed of Professors Daniel Béland (University of Saskatchewan, Chair), Agnes Batory (Central European University), and Sung Deuk Hahm (Korea University).
The committee says: “In recent decades, the politics of risk regulation has played a growing role all round the world. In his carefully crafted and compelling book The Politics of Precaution: Regulating Health, Safety, and Environmental Risks in Europe and the United States (Princeton University Press, 2012), David Vogel explores the changing transatlantic policy divergence in risk regulation. Dealing with an impressive number of issues, ranging from food safety and agriculture to air pollution, consumer safety and chemicals and hazardous substances, this well-written and policy-relevant book formulates an original framework to explain the regulatory and perception gap between Europe and United States.
“This historically-minded book also covers more than a half century of policy development, from the late 1950s to the present, a period during which the United States lost its status of regulatory leader at the expense of the European Union, where the precautionary principle has become prevalent. This is a convincing and illuminating book on a broad topic that students of risk regulation, environmental policy, and comparative public policy should find most helpful. The Award Committee is pleased to select this excellent book as the 2013 recipient of the Levine Award.”
The prize committee also gives special recognition to Corruption and Reform in India: Public Services in the Digital Age (Cambridge University Press, 2012), by Jennifer Bussell. Bussell is an assistant professor in Political Science and the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.
The committee says: “This book masterfully draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the implementation of state-level, IT-based service centers in India. The book convincingly shows how the nature of corruption in each Indian state interacts with political patterns to produce particular policy outcomes. It is a must-read for students of corruption.”
