Norms and Nannies: The Impact of International Organizations on the Central and East European States by Ronald H. s> Linden (review)

Abstract

REVIEWS 789 'command economy' both before and afterthe Second WorldWarresultedin remarkablyrapid increases in production and valuable exportable surpluses but left his successors an industry too low in investment and out-of-date in technology to meet rising demand at home and, above all, abroad. Consequently Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev and El'tsinwere one after the otherfaced with tryingto catch up on lost time. New Siberianfindingshelped; but productivityremained low. The authors have a second theme that, particularly since Stalin, the management of the oil and gas industryhas been fatallyflawed. In the tsarist period there was an imperfect market. But instead of using prices to decide what to do Stalin abolished the market altogether and relied on total planning which wasrealisticallyimpossible andrigidcommand which killed individual initiative. Even Gorbachev retained centralisttraces. All of which is true. But the authorsalso appear to hold that the only context within which an energy industry can operate successfullyis a fully fledged market. However, thereisan alternativeview thatwhatisreallynecessaryisaregulated marketof the kindthatinstitutionssuch asthe EuropeanBankforReconstruction and Development is trying to strengthenin PresidentPutin's Russia. Of course,with the book completed in February2002, the coveragegiven to Putin is necessarily sketchy. But there have been potentially interesting developments . Putin'spressureon Gazprom, Lukoiland Jukos,for example, seems to be aimed less at gaining control than at pressing them to act like responsible companies in a regulated market. There is evidence that some of the oil 'oligarchs'have come to the conclusion that they can make more profitfrom closely imitating their Western counterpartsthan from local asset stripping. And for their part, Western companies have regained an interest in direct investment. Yet it can be inferred that here, too, the authors would warn against expecting demand for a semi-market leading to one being quickly supplied. There is much more to the book than this. Unfortunately it is occasionally repetitive. And its proof-readersmight have done better than miss out some lines (e.g. p. 69) and repeat severalparagraphs(e.g. between pp. 240-4I and 248-49). Yet it has many virtues. It bringstogether an extensive collection of statisticsand adds four interestingappendices. But best of all, it weaves into a single whole the development of the oil and gas industry and the general political and economic historyof Russia. It can thereforebe read with benefit by oil-men who normallyhave no time forbackgroundand by social scientists who frequentlyignore what is in the earth and how people get it out. Glasgow W. V. WALLACE Linden, Ronald H. (ed.). Norms and Nannies. 7TheImpactof International Organizations ontheCentral andEastEuropean States.The New International Relations of Europe. Rowman & Littlefield,Lanham, MD, and Oxford, 2002. 404 pp. Tables. Figures.Notes. Index. ?30.95 (paperback). R. H. LINDEN has edited a book with a clear theme and with an intriguing title. Its focus is the impact of International Organizations (1Os) on the 790 SEER, 8i, 4, 2003 Central and East European Countries (CEECs). The IOs have proposed key norms of internationalbehaviour and acted as nannies to ensure that they are applied. Consequently the CEECs have undergone internationalsocialization in preparation for membership of the 1Os. The different kinds of accepted norms are wide ranging, encompassing aspects such as democracy, liberalization and human rights. The nannying has been through either an inclusive strategy such as the OSCE, or exclusive such as NATO and the EU or an intermediatestrategysuch asthe Council of Europe.The relationshipbetween the IOs and CEECs has been an asymmetric one and strong pressure to conform to Western norms has come from the need to comply with norms before entry in the case of the EU and NATO. Pressurehas been maintained through the attractionof funding and achieving targetslaid down via regular progressreports. The book is accessible to the general reader, though in places specialized terminology is used, such as the logic of appropriateness and logic of consequentiality,with differentmodes (as in table 1.2). The book will mainly be of interestto political scientists,plus other social scientistsinterestedin IOs and CEECs. FrankSchimmelfennig, in his introduction, is well aware of the methodological strengthsof the book's common research questions, theorizing , comparative analysisand the potential of the Europeanizationliterature. He also recognizes potential deficiencies such as more careful selection of variables and the need to complete the loop...