Social Networks and Civil Society: Comparative Perspectives on Policy and Governance

The field of political science and public policy studies has increasingly focused on the roles played by civil society organizations and informal social networks in shaping governance and influencing policy outcomes. Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in these actors amidst a backdrop of global crises, including climate change, economic volatility, democratic backsliding, and mounting social inequalities. While governments worldwide contend with fiscal pressures, institutional weaknesses, and governance challenges, civil society has evolved from a peripheral force to a central component in policy design, implementation, and legitimation. Contemporary research underscores how the quality and density of social capital—trust, norms, and networks—have the potential to transform political efficacy, foster accountability, and bolster collective action. Nonetheless, questions remain about the mechanisms and extent to which civil society actually enhances state capacity, mitigates governance gaps, and sustains long-term development, especially under conditions of crisis or rapid socioeconomic change.This Research Topic aims to dissect the intricate relationships between social capital, civil society engagement, and public policy outcomes within diverse political systems. It seeks to unravel how these interactions affect policy effectiveness, accountability, and societal resilience, moving beyond advocacy to analyze the direct and indirect ways civil society actors shape policy trajectories. Key objectives include investigating the political mechanisms by which collective action both complements and sometimes substitutes for traditional state functions, examining instances where organized civil society fills institutional voids, and understanding the comparative performance of different governance configurations. Contributors are encouraged to address how links between formal organizations, grassroots movements, informal networks, and hybrid governance arrangements reconfigure implementation dynamics across policy domains and regime types.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses comparative and multi-level approaches, aiming to capture variations across national, subnational, and regional contexts, as well as among democratic and hybrid regimes. Submissions can draw on a broad spectrum of theoretical, empirical, and methodological traditions and may utilize qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method analyses. To gather further insights into the role of civil society and social capital in contemporary policy outcomes, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Civil society’s influence on policy design, implementation, and evaluation• Social capital and collective action under crisis or institutional weakness• Governance and accountability in hybrid and fragmented political systems• Interplay between formal organizations, grassroots initiatives, and informal networks• Cross-national and subnational comparative studies of policy effectiveness• Mechanisms and consequences of hybrid governance arrangements• Impacts of civil society on long-term development trajectories Topic editors: PATRICIA LOPEZ RODRIGUEZ, Vidal Romero, Anahely Medrano, Pedro Liedo Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78891/social-networks-and-civil-society-comparative-perspectives-on-policy-and-governance