This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com. Mapping a wide range of civil society research perspectives, this pioneering Research Agenda offers a rich and clear insight for academics and practitioners hoping to embark on future civil society research. Kees Biekart and Alan Fowler bring together over 20 expert contributions from researchers across the globe who are actively engaged in testing the old and generating new knowledge about civil society.

This insightful Research Agenda explores the varied manifestations of organised crime, both on the street and through transnational enterprises, and reveals its impact on the integrity of the financial system. Leading academics identify measures which would disrupt and discourage these threats, however sophisticated, and consider avenues for future research.

Providing a comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of the gig economy from both a labour and employment perspective, this Research Agenda goes beyond the question of the employment status of platform workers. It investigates how the gig economy is changing the way people work, how the platforms’ business models are spreading in our economies, and what labour and social institutions are needed to respond to the challenges that platform work raises.

This cutting-edge Research Agenda demonstrates how social network analysis can be used to address problems of social resilience and advance knowledge and policy intervention in the face of the existential crises that threaten our contemporary societies. This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.

Space policy is now a top priority in international relations. This timely Research Agenda takes the definition of space policy itself as an object of analysis rather than as an unquestioned premise. It presents the multi-faceted spectrum of elements combined within space policy which are crucially relevant to security, welfare and modern society. Expert international contributors set out a forward-looking research agenda for the 2020s, identifying key problems and conflicts related to the topic and exploring policy, regulatory approaches and diplomatic mechanisms to reach possible solutions.

In the last two decades social entrepreneurship has grown in energy and impact as entrepreneurial spirit has increasingly turned to finding solutions for social, cultural and environmental issues. As social entrepreneurship has grown in popularity, so too has its academic study. A Research Agenda for Social Entrepreneurship brings together contributions from developing paths in the field to signpost the directions ahead for the study of social entrepreneurship.

This insightful Research Agenda offers unique perspectives into the different strands of social innovation research, covering the history and theory of this ever-growing research field. Chapters show the range and depth of the social advances that characterize this vibrant and contested subject, and analyse the strong increase in political and public interest in social innovation.

This timely Research Agenda explores the crucial need to understand the social impact of tourism in order to manage industry growth sustainably. Highlighting the multifaceted nature of tourism, chapters uncover the intricate relationships between tourists and host communities and investigate this complex social fabric.

This enlightening Research Agenda considers the latest developments within the world of work, arguing that the time is right to address the variety of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and arrangements.