Policing World Society, by Mathieu Deflem (Oxford University Press 2002)

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American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 113(3), pp. 901-903, November 2007. Reviewed by Peter Manning. The book is an impressive model of careful scholarship based upon original sources in several languages, displays sound theorizing, and presents well-chosen examples. It is a work that should be basic reading for scholars in social science, most particularly those in police studies.
Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 33(5), pp. 597-599, September 2004. Reviewed by Kirk Miller. Deflem's book... is ambitious, his theoretical contributions insightful, and his analysis adroit... [T]his work is a must-read for sociologists of social control or researchers conducting police studies with any sort of international focus.
Social Forces, Vol. 82(4), pp. 1655-1657, June 2004. Reviewed by Joachim J. Savelsberg. Policing World Society is a very scholarly and sociological, and thus fascinating, book... Deflem's book is a scholarly jewel in a sea of literature on policing... In short, Deflem's book should find a large readership.
Theoretical Criminology, Vol. 8(1), pp. 109-111, February 2004. Review by Malcolm Anderson. One feature which contributes to the originality of the book is the special attention paid to developments in Germany and the United States, comparisons between them and the growing interconnections between the two systems... Everyone interested in the field of international police cooperation should read this book.
Law & Politics Book Review, Vol. 13(8), August 2003. Reviewed by András Sajó, Legal Studies, Central European University, Budapest. Mathieu Deflem’s book on the Historical Foundations of International Police Cooperation is a provocative contribution to the fundamental debate among the leading schools in sociology. Notwithstanding its primarily sociological perspective and historical subject matter, it is of considerable value to scholars interested in police organizations and in international sub-governmental relations.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, Vol. 37(2), August 2004, pp. 308-312. Reviewed by David Baker.Policing World Society is a finely crafted analysis with a strong theoretical basis... This original book is informative, learned, articulate and scholarly... Deflem's book is very ambitious but he succeeds admirably.
International Journal of Police Science and Management, Vol. 6(1), pp. 59-61, 2004. By M. Edelbacher. Deflem's enormous contribution is that he is the first to create a fascinating theoretical basis by implementing a 'New Weberian Model' and he opens a completely new perspective in the discussion on international policing. This book is thought-provoking and can be seen as a new standard for future research.
Social Problems Forum: The SSSP Newsletter, Vol. 35(3). pp. 13-15. Fall 2004. Reviewed by Marc Flacks. Deflem makes his argument trenchantly, and he has meticulously assembled and analyzed an impressive array of primary and secondary materials in support of it. Deflem's book is to be commended for enhancing our critical understanding of globalization...
International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Vol. 52(4), pp. 1068-1069, October 2003. Reviewed by Hazel Fox. This book is written for social scientists but it contains matters of interest to lawyers... The author demonstrates that police cooperation across borderswas not based on formal intergovernmental accords nor in implementation of international regulation of crime.
American Journal International Law, Vol 98(2), pp. 374-379, April 2004. Reviewed by David Bryan Sullivan. [T]he introduction's language --laden with jargon, theory, and citations-- may be clear to Deflem's academic compatriots but was, at times, barely comprehensible to this reviewer (admittedly, a nonsociologist). With comment and reply: AJIL 98:743-744.
British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 43(4), pp. 810-812, Autumn 2003. Reviewed by J. W. E. Sheptycki. Deflem is both a structural-functionalist and a thorough going modernist... Despite any misgivings I have about the theory that is used to organize the book, there can be little doubt that Policing World Society is a substantial scholarly achievement.
Journal of International Criminal Justice, Vol. 1(2), pp. 576-578, August 2003. Review by Neil Boister, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. One of Deflem's key arguments is a critique of the assumption that international policing can be explained in terms of the implementation of laws... Deflem's critique is most useful in that it suggests a serious degree of detachment from legality in reality. His book highlights the concern that cooperative international law enforcement is an enterprise that has been historically, and remains, more concerned with efficiency than normativity...
International Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 17(1), pp. 63-65, 2007. Reviewed by Aogán Mulcahy. Theoretically informed and characterized by rigorous empirical analysis, this book is a welcome addition to the growing criminological lietature on transnational and global developments generally in the field of policing and social control.
The Police Journal, Vol. 76(3), pp. 274-275, 2003. By Rob R. Jerrard. This is certainly a valuable contribution to the subject of world policing... This book should find a place in any police library.
International Review of Social History, Vol. 49(3), pp. 519-521, 2004. Review by Klaus Weinhauer. All in all, Deflem has elaborated a wealth of brilliant theses on the roots and developments of international police cooperation.
Archiv für Sozialgeschichte online, Vol. 44, March 2004. By Jens Jäger. Unabhängig von den Einwänden und kritischen Bemerkungen..., ist Deflems Studie ungemein anregend und lenkt den Blick auf die historischen Grundlagen internationaler Polizeikooperation... so gibt es gegenwärtig kein anregenderes Buch zu der Thematik als Policing World Society.
Kriminologisches Journal, Vol. 36(1), pp. 69-71, 2004. Review by Hartmut Aden. Neben den Abschnitten, die Resultate eigener Archivstudien präsentieren, macht vor allem die vergleichende europäisch-amerikanische Perspektive das vorligen Buch interessant.
Yönetim Bilimleri Dergisi, Vol. 1(3), pp. 225-226, 2004 (Journal of Administrative Sciences, Turkey). Reviewed by Ömer Atasoy.
Les Cahiers de la Sécurité Intérieure, No. 52, pp. 232-234, 2003. Review by Benoît Dupont, Centre International de Criminologie Comparée. Le livre que Mathieu Deflem, professeur de sociologie à l’université de Caroline du Sud, nous propose est d’une remarquable actualité, malgré la préoccupation historique qui l’anime...