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.

Abstract: This editorial introduces the thematic issue on 'civil society elites', a topic that has been neglected in elite research as well as civil society studies. It elaborates on the concept of 'civil society elites' and explains why this is an important emerging research field. By highlighting different methodological approaches and key findings in the contributions to the thematic issue, this article aims at formulating an agenda for future research in this field

This book addresses salient current issues in public administration research. It seeks to suggest where future research may or indeed ought to be focussed. To advocate the future routes for the development of research, this book is divided into themes, with a clear overlap between different approaches. The book has contributions that will assist students of public administration/public sector management and public policy, especially new PhD students, but will also be a useful resource for more established researchers to understand the major emerging issues within the field.

Introduction -- Repression, ignorance, and undone science -- The epistemic dimension of the political opportunity structure -- The politics of meaning: from frames to design conflicts -- The organizational forms of counterpublic knowledge -- Institutional change, industrial transitions, and regime resistance politics -- Contemporary change: liberalization and epistemic modernization -- Conclusion

This Research Agenda maps thought-provoking research trends for the next generation of interdisciplinary human rights scholars in this particularly troubled time. It charts the historic trajectory of scholarship on the international rights regime, looking ahead to emerging areas of inquiry and suggesting alternative methods and perspectives for studying the pursuit of human dignity.

This volume honors the lifetime achievements of distinguished scholar Chadwick F. Alger on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Carolyn Stephenson presents Prof. Alger as a Pioneer in the Study of the Political Process and on NGO Participation in the United Nations. Part 1 offers an autobiographical note and a comprehensive bibliography of his academic publications. Part II includes three texts on “The Political Process in the UN,” namely “The Researcher in the United Nations: Evolution of a Research Strategy,” “Interaction in a Committee of the United Nations General Assembly” and “Interaction and Negotiation in a Committee of the UN GA.” In Part III, which focuses on “Civil Society Organizations in the UN System (NGOs),” three chapters deal with “Evolving Roles of NGOs in Member State Decision-making in the UN System,” “The Roles of NGOs in the UN System: From Article 71 to a People’s Millennium Assembly” and “Strengthening relations between NGOs and the UN system: Towards a research agenda.”