What governs governance, and how does it evolve? The sociology of governance-in-action.

Governance addresses a wide range of issues including social, economic and political continuity, security and integrity, individual and collective safety and the liberty and rights to self-actualization of citizens. Questions to be answered include how governance can be achieved and sustained within a social context imbued with cultural values and in which power is distributed unevenly and dynamically, and how governance impacts on individuals and institutions. Drawing on Gramscian notions of hegemony and consent, and recent political science literatures on regulation and meta-regulation, this paper develops a sociological model of governance that emphasizes a dynamic and responsive governance in action.

Pharma in the bedroom . . . and the kitchen. . . . The pharmaceuticalisation of daily life.

This paper examines the consequences of a new emphasis on lifestyle in the production, marketing and consumption of pharmaceuticals. Over the past decade, a range of medicines have become available that address aspects of lifestyle, while others have been the subject of lifestyle marketing. We argue, with recourse to a broad literature from the social sciences, economics and health services research and from our study of pharmaceutical consumption, that two processes can be discerned.

What are health identities and how may we study them?

This paper draws together findings from studies of health and identity to develop a model of health identities, based upon Deleuze and Guattari's approach to understanding the relationship between self, body and society. The model is used to inform a methodology for the empirical study of identities in relation to health and the body. Using a sample interview transcript, the methodology of analysis is demonstrated.

You are what you eat? Vegetarianism, health and identity.

This paper examines the views of 'health vegetarians' through a qualitative study of an online vegetarian message board. The researcher participated in discussions on the board, gathered responses to questions from 33 participants, and conducted follow-up e-mail interviews with 18 of these participants. Respondents were predominantly from the United States, Canada and the UK.