Lynda Cheshire is Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Australia. She undertakes research in the areas of rural governance, rural protest and other forms of resistance to rural restructuring, and the involvement of private corporations, such as property developers and mining companies, in processes of community development. She has published her work in a number of books, book chapters and journal articles.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: The Problem of Self-help; Chapter 2 Power and Government: A Governmentality Perspective; Chapter 3 Contemporary Discourses of Self-help; Chapter 4 A Problematics of Government: Self-help as Discursive Practice; Chapter 5 Technologies of Capacity Building: Disciplining and Regulating Conduct; Chapter 6 Relations of Rule: Self-help in Warmington and Woomeroo; Chapter 7 Docile Bodies? Translating Self-help; Chapter 8 Conclusion: Implications for Rural Development;

'In an era where governments, the world over, are seeking to "empower" citizens and to promote local leadership, there is an urgent need for a critical assessment of these new and emerging forms of community-based governance and their impacts. Drawing upon sociological theory, this book is the first to explore the competing discourses of self help in rural and regional areas. It is a highly original account, written with clarity and intelligence, producing one of the most revealing works on rural communities to have been published in the last decade. It is invaluable reading for all who wish to understand the dynamics of contemporary rural change.' Geoffrey Lawrence, University of Queensland, Australia 'Self-help is becoming a mantra in rural development policy and practice across the western world. This incisive and detailed examination of the rhetoric and reality of rural development in Australia shows how self-help is a product of the neoliberal state and raises important questions about how rural disadvantage might be tackled in future.' Neil Ward, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Lynda Cheshire is Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Australia. She undertakes research in the areas of rural governance, rural protest and other forms of resistance to rural restructuring, and the involvement of private corporations, such as property developers and mining companies, in processes of community development. She has published her work in a number of books, book chapters and journal articles.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: The Problem of Self-help; Chapter 2 Power and Government: A Governmentality Perspective; Chapter 3 Contemporary Discourses of Self-help; Chapter 4 A Problematics of Government: Self-help as Discursive Practice; Chapter 5 Technologies of Capacity Building: Disciplining and Regulating Conduct; Chapter 6 Relations of Rule: Self-help in Warmington and Woomeroo; Chapter 7 Docile Bodies? Translating Self-help; Chapter 8 Conclusion: Implications for Rural Development;

'In an era where governments, the world over, are seeking to "empower" citizens and to promote local leadership, there is an urgent need for a critical assessment of these new and emerging forms of community-based governance and their impacts. Drawing upon sociological theory, this book is the first to explore the competing discourses of self help in rural and regional areas. It is a highly original account, written with clarity and intelligence, producing one of the most revealing works on rural communities to have been published in the last decade. It is invaluable reading for all who wish to understand the dynamics of contemporary rural change.' Geoffrey Lawrence, University of Queensland, Australia 'Self-help is becoming a mantra in rural development policy and practice across the western world. This incisive and detailed examination of the rhetoric and reality of rural development in Australia shows how self-help is a product of the neoliberal state and raises important questions about how rural disadvantage might be tackled in future.' Neil Ward, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Lynda Cheshire is Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Australia. She undertakes research in the areas of rural governance, rural protest and other forms of resistance to rural restructuring, and the involvement of private corporations, such as property developers and mining companies, in processes of community development. She has published her work in a number of books, book chapters and journal articles.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: The Problem of Self-help; Chapter 2 Power and Government: A Governmentality Perspective; Chapter 3 Contemporary Discourses of Self-help; Chapter 4 A Problematics of Government: Self-help as Discursive Practice; Chapter 5 Technologies of Capacity Building: Disciplining and Regulating Conduct; Chapter 6 Relations of Rule: Self-help in Warmington and Woomeroo; Chapter 7 Docile Bodies? Translating Self-help; Chapter 8 Conclusion: Implications for Rural Development;

'In an era where governments, the world over, are seeking to "empower" citizens and to promote local leadership, there is an urgent need for a critical assessment of these new and emerging forms of community-based governance and their impacts. Drawing upon sociological theory, this book is the first to explore the competing discourses of self help in rural and regional areas. It is a highly original account, written with clarity and intelligence, producing one of the most revealing works on rural communities to have been published in the last decade. It is invaluable reading for all who wish to understand the dynamics of contemporary rural change.' Geoffrey Lawrence, University of Queensland, Australia 'Self-help is becoming a mantra in rural development policy and practice across the western world. This incisive and detailed examination of the rhetoric and reality of rural development in Australia shows how self-help is a product of the neoliberal state and raises important questions about how rural disadvantage might be tackled in future.' Neil Ward, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK