This book, based on anthropological research on local irrigation management in the Mekong Delta, sheds light on state-society interactions at the interface between bureaucratic and informal areas. Data from ethnographic case studies was framed abductively by an institutional bricolage approach (Cleaver 2012) and state power (Goebel 2011). The study goes beyond an institutions process and individual bargaining to argue that local irrigation management is guided by the co-evolution between the state and local actors. It is the everyday dialogue that, in the co-existence of the hierarchical state management structure and the space of local flexibility, officially and unofficially refines the local practices. (Series: ?ZEF Development Studies, Vol. 29) [Subject: Politics, Environmental Studies, Asian Studies, Agriculture

Ferment in the Intercultural Field: Axiology/Value/Praxis, Volume 26 of The International and Intercultural Communication Annual examines how the field of intercultural communication has encouraged new techniques in the area of research. Editors William J. Starosta and Guo-Ming Chen, along with a diverse group of distinguished contributors, recall the 1983 topical issue of The Journal of Communication that reported a critical turn and a shift of paradigms in communication research. Recommended for scholars and researchers in the area of intercultural communication, Ferment in the Intercultural Field is also a vital resource for upper-level undergraduate and graduate communication students.

The study of governance has risen to prominence as a way of describing and explaining changes in our world. The SAGE Handbook of Governance presents an authoritative and innovative overview of this fascinating field, with particular emphasis on the significant new and emerging theoretical issues and policy innovations. The Handbook is divided into three parts. Part one explores the major theories influencing current thinking and shaping future research in the field of governance. Part two deals specifically with changing practices and policy innovations, including the changing role of the state, transnational and global governance, markets and networks, public management, and budgeting and finance. Part three explores the dilemmas of managing governance, including attempts to rethink democracy and citizenship as well as specific policy issues such as capacity building, regulation, and sustainable development. This volume is an excellent resource for advanced students and researchers in political science, economics, geography, sociology, and public administration. Mark Bevir is a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Technical, Social and Legal Issues in Virtual Communities: Emerging Environments examines a variety of issues related to virtual communities and social networking, addressing issues related to team identification, leader-member issues, social networking for education, participation in social networks, and other issues directly related to this eclectic field of study. This publication provides comprehensive coverage and understanding of the social, cultural, organizational, human, and cognitive issues related to the virtual communities and social networking. Readers will find that this book encompasses an overall body of knowledge regarding participation of individuals, groups and organizations in virtual communities and networks, by providing an outlet for scholarly research in the area.

Identity is one of the most extensively studied constructs in the social sciences. Yet, despite the wealth of findings across many disciplines, identity researchers remain divided over such enduring fundamental questions as: What exactly is identity, and how do identity processes function? Do people have a single identity or multiple identities? Is identity individually or collectively oriented? Personally or socially constructed? Stable or constantly in flux? The Handbook of Identity Theory and Research offers the rare opportunity to address the questions and reconcile these seeming contradictions, bringing unity and clarity to a diverse and fragmented literature. This exhaustive reference work emphasizes the depth and complexity of identity processes and domains and presents perspectives from many different theoretical schools and empirical approaches. Contributing authors provide perspectives from psychology (e.g., narrative, social identity theory, neo-Eriksonian) and from other disciplines (e.g., sociology, political science, ethnic studies); and the editors highlight the links between chapters that provide complementary insights on related subjects. In addition to covering identity processes and categories that are well-known to the field, the Handbook tackles many emerging issues, including: - Identity development among adopted persons. - Identity processes in interpersonal relationships. - Effects of globalization on cultural identity. - Transgender experience and identity. - Consumer identity and shopping behavior. - Social identity processes in xenophobia and genocide. The Handbook of Identity Theory and Research lends itself to a wealth of uses by scholars, clinicians, and graduate students across many disciplines, including social, developmental, and child/school psychology; human development and family studies; sociology; cultural anthropology; gender, ethnic, and communication studies; education; and counseling.