In this book, Kenneth Hansen has produced an interesting assessment of how states and localities have increased their institutional capacities to deal with the unanticipated consequences of federal downsizing and pollution at military bases in the 1990s. Hansen uses survey data from 44 of the 115 military installations that were recommended for closure or realignment by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) between 1988 and 1995, as well as several case studies of military bases, to support his core proposition—that environmental factors are among the key intervening variables in the base redevelopment process. The topics discussed are especially timely, given the highly publicized and contentious battle over base closings this past year.

Hansen's book is divided into six chapters. His opening chapter describes the base closure conundrum and the state of the study of defense policy as it relates to these closures. The next several chapters outline the theoretical underpinnings of the author's work (focusing on environmental policy implementation), providing survey data analysis and a detailed descriptive analysis of his case studies, including discussions of policy outcomes, barriers to base conversion, environmental restoration solutions, and economic recovery.

In his concluding chapter, Hansen uses the results of his research to illustrate the importance of environmental variables at crucial stages of the development process. The idea that military base closures can be a positive sustainable development activity for communities is a prominent theme, with the author delineating what he believes are the most important learning points of his research. High on Hansen's list are the promotion of intergovernmental cooperation and coordination, establishment of what he calls “situation-regarding discourse” (p. 130), and a criticism of the current Bush administration's policies, which are “bent on gutting the very statutes that enable environmental restoration at military bases” and are being done “in the twin names of national security and the war on terror” (p. 131).

Hansen provides a rich, detailed, and comprehensive history of the base closing process during the 1990s, highlighted by specific information derived from personal experience, a working knowledge of the policymaking process, and in-depth interviews of key personnel. His illustrations are instructive. For instance, his finding that significant delays occur if communities do not effectively address the environmental problems inherent in most base closings should be a warning to all levels of government in planning for base closures. Furthermore, Hansen's work serves as a template to those who want to bring about the successful use of former military bases. His emphasis on strategic planning, writing environmental impact statements, and setting up BRAC cleanup teams provides clear and unambiguous guidance for future policymaking.

There do exist some concerns with the way Hansen presents his findings. First, he notes that his perspective is that of public administration (not American politics or international relations), but provides no detailed description of what this means, or exactly how public administration fits into his policy framework. For example, he refers to Graham Allison's (1971) Essence of Decision as a major influence in his work. Because Allison's work is a mainstay of political science–oriented international relations classes, it would have been nice to see a more thorough discussion of why Hansen believes Allison's work tends more toward a public administration emphasis. In addition, despite the (nearly) comprehensive listing and discussion of environmental orthodoxy and policy implementation, there is no reference to Deborah A. Stone's (1988, revised in 2002) Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making, considered by many to be one of the most important policy frameworks regarding the policymaking process.

Second, Hansen provides a plethora of data (e.g., personal interviews, comparative case studies, and surveys) to back up his basic propositions, but goes a bit too far in selling this as a rigorous scientific study. He surveyed the executive directors or their representatives from each community affected by BRAC decisions. The sample size (n = 44) is not necessarily too small, but the return rate of 38% (44/115) is not particularly pleasing. While I would agree that “these descriptions shed a great deal of light on the base conversion process” (pp. 54–55), the statement “As far as I can tell, this sample is very representative of the total population of base transitions, and hence the findings should be generalizable to this same population” (p. 55) is weak at its best, and misleading at its worst. In the absence of evidence showing that those that did not return surveys (the vast majority of the respondents) have the same characteristics as those that did (and there is no such evidence provided), a 38% return rate is not sufficient to claim a truly representative sample. This does not mean that the findings are not of interest or not valuable; it simply means that one would be on shaky ground attempting to generalize to the larger population.

Third, there is no thorough explanation of causality for any of the variables used in the model. Stating associations and statistical significance is only part of establishing causality. Also, in many instances, Hansen talks about direction of relationships when it is clearly stated that the relationship was not statistically significant (e.g., see bottom of p. 84). If a relationship is not statistically significant, one cannot in good conscience talk about a direction. Not reaching statistical significance means you cannot be confident that a relationship exists.

In the end, however, the strengths of The Greening of Pentagon Brownfields far outweigh its weaknesses. This book is an excellent read for both practitioners and those interested in the philosophical underpinnings of policy implementation. Hansen provides an excellent overview of many of the theoretical concepts that define policy implementation. Furthermore, the case studies of particular base closings provide critical information for improving the prospects of successful transition for communities going through such a procedure. Most important, Hansen provides empirical evidence that closed installations not only represent considerable economic development opportunities; they can transition successfully into engines of economic growth.