Mary Louise McAllister is an associate professor in the Department of Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo.

By asking the question, 'are we governing ourselves?', McAllister delves into theses muddy waters in an admirably honest manner ... McAllister's book is a useful teaching and scholarly resource for grappling with the democratic and administrative uncertainty that remains a large dimension of Canada's public sector. - Jeffery Roy, School of Public Administration, Dalhousie University (Local Government Studies, vol. 32, no. 4, Autumn 2004) Highly recommended. - A.F. Johnson, Bishop's University (Choice, June 2005)

• Tables, Figures, and BoxesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1: Local Democracy, a Contested Notion1 Local Self-Government: Perspectives on Democracy2 Local Democracy and Self-Government: The Historical Legacy3 Avenues of Participation in Local GovernancePart 2: Shifting Responsibilities: Intergovernmental Relations4 The Evolution of Provincial-Local Relations and Municipal Government5 Municipal Restructuring6 Contemporary Intergovernmental RelationsPart 3: The Politics of Space, Place, and Ecosystems7 Core and Peripheries to Networked Societies8 The Politics of Urban Planning9 Environmental Challenges: Redefining the Public InterestPart 4: The Business of Local Administration and Policy10 Local Public Administration11 Business, Management, and the Municipal CorporationPart 5: Surfing into the Twenty-First Century: Local Political Communications12 Local Channels of InformationNotesSelected BibliographyPhotography CreditsIndex

Mary Louise McAllister is an associate professor in the Department of Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo.

By asking the question, 'are we governing ourselves?', McAllister delves into theses muddy waters in an admirably honest manner ... McAllister's book is a useful teaching and scholarly resource for grappling with the democratic and administrative uncertainty that remains a large dimension of Canada's public sector. - Jeffery Roy, School of Public Administration, Dalhousie University (Local Government Studies, vol. 32, no. 4, Autumn 2004) Highly recommended. - A.F. Johnson, Bishop's University (Choice, June 2005)

• Tables, Figures, and BoxesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1: Local Democracy, a Contested Notion1 Local Self-Government: Perspectives on Democracy2 Local Democracy and Self-Government: The Historical Legacy3 Avenues of Participation in Local GovernancePart 2: Shifting Responsibilities: Intergovernmental Relations4 The Evolution of Provincial-Local Relations and Municipal Government5 Municipal Restructuring6 Contemporary Intergovernmental RelationsPart 3: The Politics of Space, Place, and Ecosystems7 Core and Peripheries to Networked Societies8 The Politics of Urban Planning9 Environmental Challenges: Redefining the Public InterestPart 4: The Business of Local Administration and Policy10 Local Public Administration11 Business, Management, and the Municipal CorporationPart 5: Surfing into the Twenty-First Century: Local Political Communications12 Local Channels of InformationNotesSelected BibliographyPhotography CreditsIndex