Dr Arnar Árnason and Dr Jo Vergunst are both based in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Aberdeen, UK. Professor Mark Shucksmith is based in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University , UK.

• Contents: Preface; Introduction, Arnar Árnaason, Andrea Nightingale, Mark Shucksmith and Jo Vergunst; Networks for local development: aiming for visibility, products and success, Esko Lehto and Jukka Oksa; Social capital in rural areas: public goods and public services, Claudio Cecchi; Gendered social capital : exploring the relations between civil society and the labour market, Susanne Stenbacka and Karin Tillberg Mattsson; Identity-building in regional initiatives for rural development: comparing Ireland's lake district and Norway's mountain region, Torill Meistad Frances Hannon and Chris Curtin; The role of identity in contemporary rural development processes, Frances Hannon and Chris Curtin; Using environmental resources: networks in food and landscape, Jo Vergunst, Arnar Árnason, Ronald Macintyre and Andrea Nightingale; Conclusions: comparing rural development, Jo Vergunst and Mark Shucksmith; References; Index.

'...an indispensable "manual" for those who are in applied sciences or sitting in Brussels...a valuable addition to the corpus of writing on rural development.' Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale