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Research Handbook on Artificial Intelligence and Communication
This forward-looking Research Handbook makes an insightful contribution to the emerging field of studies on communication of, by and with AI. Bringing together state-of-the-art research from over 50 leading international scholars across various fields, it provides a comprehensive overview of the complex intersections between AI and communication. The team of expert contributors explore key conceptual, theoretical and methodological approaches and examine a variety of ethical considerations, legal issues and policy implications of AI across diverse contexts. The Handbook spans a wide range of topics related to AI-empowered, immersed, mediated and integrated communications. These range from the role of news media and digital communication platforms in constructing, representing and framing AI across different countries and cultures, to the public understanding of, attitude towards and interaction with AI and its related technologies. Offering foundational guidance on AI and communication, the Research Handbook will stimulate further intellectual inquiry for future scholarship in this rapidly evolving area. Cross-disciplinary in scope, this dynamic Research Handbook will prove an essential reference for students and scholars in multiple fields, including communication, computer science, data and information science, sociology, business, and education. Policymakers and practitioners will also find it a valuable resource to help inform AI-related regulations and policies.
Research Handbook on Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making in Organizations (Research Handbooks in Business and Management series)
Featuring state-of-the-art research from leading academics in technology and organization studies, this timely Research Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of how AI becomes embedded in decision making in organizations, from the initial considerations when implementing AI to the use of such solutions in strategic decision making. Bringing together cutting-edge scholarship on the many issues and complexities surrounding the use of AI in decision making for organizations, this enlightening Research Handbook illustrates how technology is intertwined with organizational processes and outcomes. Contributors examine human-AI collaboration in welfare services, responsible AI governance, AI systems in medical imaging, and the ethical implications of AI use in practice. Furthermore, the editors propose an integrative framework for decision making in organizations that encompasses making decisions about AI, with AI, and the implications of decisions made by AI. The Research Handbook will be essential reading for students, academics and researchers in business analytics, information systems, organizational innovation, organizational behavior, and organizational and occupational psychology. It will also be a valuable resource for business managers and AI engineers.
Research Handbook on Authoritarianism
This Research Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the latest knowledge on authoritarian regimes. Combining quantitative research and in-depth case studies, it not only provides novel insights into past and current dictatorships but also forecasts potential new developments in authoritarian politics.Through detailed analyses of diverse authoritarian regimes, including those in China, Egypt, North Korea, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uganda, this Research Handbook examines authoritarian performance, credibility, and legitimacy. Arguing that the key to understanding authoritarian politics is the politics of survival, chapters provide detailed analysis of central actors, institutions, and strategies to illustrate the impact of efforts to retain power on wider political outcomes. With sections dedicated to exploring common issues for authoritarianism researchers and showcasing cutting-edge developments in the field, contributors provide insight into important questions on how authoritarian regimes continue to survive today.Presenting detailed explorations of classic and contemporary trends in authoritarianism, this Research Handbook will be an essential resource for students and scholars of authoritarianism, international relations, and comparative politics. It will also be an invaluable guide for policymakers seeking to understand modern authoritarianism.
Research Handbook on Civil–Military Relations (Elgar Handbooks in Political Science)
Bringing together leading international scholars, this comprehensive Research Handbook analyses key problems, subjects, regions, and countries in civil-military relations. Showcasing cutting-edge research developments, it illustrates the deeply complex nature of the field and examines important topics in need of renewed consideration.Arranged in five thematic sections, chapters explore the role of armed forces in politics and society, the missions and roles of militaries, and crucial issues of control, compliance and effectiveness. Contributors present theoretically informed and empirically applied research asking novel questions and examining cutting-edge solutions to ongoing problems in the field. They demonstrate the wide range of research methodologies and meta-theoretical traditions in civil-military relations, spanning structuralism, behavioralism, institutionalism, and constructivism. Ultimately, the Research Handbook is a timely insight into the contemporary role of militaries, for example in democratization and autocratization processes and deployment during natural disasters and pandemics.The Research Handbook on Civil–Military Relations will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of military, security, and strategic studies, as well as comparative politics and military sociology. It will also be an important read for policymakers seeking to better understand the role of the military in society.
Research Handbook on Climate Change Litigation (Research Handbooks in Climate Law series)
This Research Handbook provides a comprehensive depiction of the various stages, opportunities and challenges of climate change litigation at national and international levels from an innovative practice-oriented perspective. Bringing together expert authors from a range of legal backgrounds, the Research Handbook features contributions not only from experienced academics researching in the field, but also from strategic planning specialists and legal coordinators for organizations involved in climate-related litigation. It follows the entire journey of climate-related disputes, from an examination of the approaches and decisions made before initiating legal proceedings, through the various procedural and legal hurdles and challenges during proceedings, to an exploration of the post-litigation challenges that may arise. The climate litigation process is also analyzed in the context of different international forums, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), and the World Heritage Convention, among others. The Research Handbook on Climate Change Litigation is a vital resource for scholars and students in arbitration and dispute resolution, climate change law and environmental law. Practitioners such as judges, lawyers, legal advisers for NGOs and public servants in administration will also find this book beneficial.
Research Handbook on Conflict Prevention (Elgar Handbooks in Political Science)
The Research Handbook on Conflict Prevention is a cohesive and comparative analysis of the ways in which organised violence is combatted. Renowned experts dissect the complex problem of conflict prevention by investigating its three main aspects: agency, methods and timing.This incisive Research Handbook both reviews the current literature on conflict prevention and introduces new theoretical and empirical findings. Contributors compare the different roles played by women’s groups, academics, military forces, and local and international agents such as the UN. They also explore resolution methods such as prenegotiation, negotiation, mediation and conflict transformation. In doing so, they illustrate the various ways in which hegemonic masculine approaches, peace journalism, and robust non-military and military approaches manage to reduce organised violence. Finally, the Research Handbook tracks the different phases of the conflict process, from the onset and escalation of conflict to conflict relapse. Confronting the vicious cycle of organised violence, this rigorous and multi-faceted study of conflict prevention provides an impetus towards understanding the field and inspiring solutions.In-depth and comprehensive, this Research Handbook will be of great benefit to scholars of conflict and international relations, human rights, terrorism, and security, as well as practitioners and policymakers in the field.
Research Handbook on Contemporary Human Resource Management for Health Care
This insightful Research Handbook delivers a comprehensive analysis of the significant contemporary trends and issues affecting human resource management (HRM) for health care, and their subsequent impact on individuals, organisations and national health services.Over the last twenty years the combination of new role creation, technical advances in clinical work, changes to clinician working hours and patient-service expectation has changed HRM within health care beyond recognition. Bringing together original contributions from leading international scholars, this Research Handbook utilises empirical evidence within theoretical frameworks to explain the dynamics behind the management of human resources for health care and their resulting effects. Through an in-depth analysis of the potential means of improvement, contributors highlight key action areas for critical issues facing health care providers, such as the collaboration between HRM and public health, the importance of support workers and the crucial need for HRM leadership at multiple organisational levels.The Research Handbook on Contemporary Human Resource Management for Health Care provides a forward-thinking resource for students, academics and researchers working in HRM health and social care, health care leadership and health management. It will also be of great benefit to policy makers, human resource managers and clinical professionals in both local and national health care organisations.
Research Handbook on Curriculum and Education (Elgar Handbooks in Education)
This incisive Handbook brings together a wealth of innovative research from international curriculum and education experts to ask the question: what knowledge should be taught in school, how should it be taught, and for what purpose?Providing a comprehensive account of curriculum history, philosophy, and recent theoretical developments, the Handbook explores timely debates concerning the national curriculum in countries across Asia, Australasia, Eastern and Western Europe, countries in the American continents such as Brazil and Canada. Chapters delve into the relationship between curriculum and democracy, focusing on specific school subjects to examine what the recontextualisation of rational knowledge means for subject selection and design. Opening up a three-way conversation between Didaktik theory, social realism, and cognitive psychology, the Research Handbook puts forward a novel and powerful research programme in curriculum studies.This innovative Handbook will be an indispensable resource for academics and postgraduate students of curriculum studies, education policy, and education management. Its discussion of new generative research programmes will also benefit education policy makers and analysts.
Research Handbook on Digital Trade
This comprehensive Research Handbook analyzes the impact of the rapid growth of digital trade on businesses, consumers, and regulators. Leading experts provide theoretical and practical insight into how to manage the legal and policy challenges of the global digital economy.Chapters cover key areas of digital trade policy and regulation, examining finance, investment, tax, AI, and security. Drawing from a broad spectrum of digital trade sub-specialisms, this Research Handbook explores diverse regional and national approaches to e-commerce, spanning Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. It scrutinizes the evolution of digital trade within the international trade system, assessing its inclusion within the WTO and the move towards digital-only agreements. Contributors investigate pressing legal controversies concerning trade protectionism, the recognition of intellectual property, and the safeguarding of personal data.This Research Handbook will be an invaluable resource for academics and students in digital trade, international law, public policy, and regulation. It will also be a useful guide for legal and political practitioners seeking to understand the emerging field of digital trade.
Research Handbook on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (Research Handbooks in Corporate Law and Governance series)
The Research Handbook on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance presents a comprehensive view of a rapidly evolving area of study. Adopting a comparative approach, it goes beyond issues of sustainability and human rights, covering the whole spectrum of ESG and its regulatory developments.Astutely organized into clearly defined and thematic sections, chapters tackle classic questions relating to corporate governance, assess the current state of ESG and address important issues arising from its development. A carefully selected, distinguished and diverse cast of authors explore topics including directors’ duties and managerial decision-making, the changing landscape of investor and shareholder activism, investment and fund regulation, and ESG initiatives in international law.This interdisciplinary Research Handbook is essential reading for academics and students of law, environmental studies, and politics and public policy. Legal practitioners of corporate law, capital markets law and securities regulation will also benefit from this authoritative analysis of ESG regulatory developments.
Research Handbook on EU Internet Law (Research Handbooks in European Law series)
The Internet has brought about unprecedented changes to modern life, creating a connected society but also radically opening up the question of how to design and apply legal rules in a digital world. This thoroughly revised second edition provides an updated exploration of the latest developments and controversies in European Internet law. Paying close attention to recent acts and proposals, including the Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Markets Act (DMA), AI Act and others, this Research Handbook traces the developments of main regulatory ideas; provides criticism of the methods, principles, approaches and enforcement; and gives a critical analysis of the normative side of regulation. The expert contributors are clustered around the main regulatory fields and each deals adeptly with one or more of the key features of the passed or proposed acts. Providing a critical analysis of the EU’s regulatory efforts in digital regulation, this discerning Research Handbook will be a useful reference tool for academics and postgraduate students specialising in international law, e-commerce, consumer law and IT law. It will also be of interest to practitioners, including governmental officials and data protection officers.
Research Handbook on European Social Security Law (Research Handbooks in European Law series)
This comprehensive second edition Research Handbook discusses a wide range of timely questions and dilemmas ensuing from the present state of European social security law. Presenting a kaleidoscopic concept of social security, a new generation of leading experts identifies future lines of inquiry that are likely to dominate the discourse in the coming years.Chapters analyse contemporary debates through a range of perspectives, critically examining crucial dimensions of European social security law. These dimensions include social security as a human right, minimum standards, protection of mobile persons, and European social security law in a global context. Through this exploration, new challenges and further lines of research are identified, providing a source of inspiration for the development of this fundamental field of law.Covering a breadth of topics and research, scholars and academics alike will find this Research Handbook to be an invaluable source of information. Lawyers and policy makers will also benefit from the up-to-date guide to the various fields of European social security.
Research Handbook on Family Property and the Law (Research Handbooks in Family Law series)
This pivotal Research Handbook analyses the interconnectedness of family property and the law through historical, contemporary, comparative and jurisdiction-specific lenses. Authors analyse some of the most well-known, contested and politicised legal developments in the field of family property law. Bringing together leading international scholars, the Research Handbook on Family Property and the Law considers the key policy issues that impact family property entitlement, including the extent to which wealth, class and race influence its distribution. It explores the defining features of family property, such as how it is conceptualised, created and legally recognised, and how it has evolved over time. Authors examine the recipients, recognition and redistribution of family property, queer perspectives on property protections in marriage and other registered partnerships, and family property law in a variety of regions including Africa, Asia, Australasia, the Caribbean, Europe and North America. This comprehensive Research Handbook will be a vital resource for academics and students specialising in family law, human rights law, property law, social policy and succession law. It will also benefit legal practitioners and national and international policymakers in the field.
Research Handbook on Feminist Political Thought (Research Handbooks in Political Thought series)
Illustrating the collective power and relevance of feminist theory today, Mary Caputi and Patricia Moynagh have carefully selected a diverse international range of leading scholars and activists to critically assess key social and political challenges in the twenty-first century. This Research Handbook demonstrates a variety of feminist analyses that offer compelling insights into an array of topics, including police brutality, the carceral state, racial and sexualised violence, trans rights, climate change, and the denial of reproductive rights.With a focus on the crucial role of feminism in envisioning a more equal world, chapters examine critical and care based approaches to feminist political thought; hostility to the feminist movement; and feminist attempts to unseat institutionalised power and violence. The lived experiences of women, variously situated in a host of cultural and geographic contexts, are explored. These experiences include the thematics of longing and bereavement, as well as different forms of feminist protest and political awakening. Ultimately, this Research Handbook illustrates the continuing need for reinterpretation and reconstruction in this vital field of feminist political thought.The Research Handbook on Feminist Political Thought will prove an essential read for students and scholars of feminist, political and postcolonial theory. Its real-world implications will mean it will additionally appeal to policymakers and activists, as well as academics of philosophy, political science, sociology, and gender and cultural studies.
Research Handbook on Financial Accounting (Research Handbooks on Accounting series)
Through careful classification of the opportunities and challenges facing current financial regulatory bodies, the Research Handbook on Financial Accounting inspects the financial implications of our ever-changing modern economic and environmental climate. This Research Handbook covers a broad selection of topics ranging from globalization to sustainable accounting, providing highly relevant contemporary insights into important subject areas such as ESG reporting and crypto-assets accounting. Offering detailed illustrations of the benefits and costs of adopting international accounting standards, it explores significant current issues within the field of financial accounting, painting a fully up-to-date picture of the most recent accountancy trends. It details the intricacies of company and stakeholder interactions, and presents a growing need for changing accounting standards as businesses expand internationally. Academics of such disciplines as finance, accountancy, economics, and business administration will find this book to be of huge benefit. Due to its professional applicability, this Research Handbook will additionally be ideal for those working in the fields of accountancy, auditing, and financial analysis.
Research Handbook on Flood Risk Management (Elgar Handbooks in Energy, the Environment and Climate Change)
Pushing the boundaries of flood risk management research, this comprehensive Research Handbook presents pragmatic insights into all areas relating to flood risk. Through its use of dynamic and people-centred paradigms, it explores urban flood management within localities, properties, neighbourhoods and cities.Structured around the flood risk management cycle, chapters explore the critical importance of managing the consequences of flooding whilst examining key concepts such as mitigation, preparedness, emergency management and recovery. An international range of expert contributors from an array of disciplines recognize the inadequacies of existing governance approaches and mechanisms when it comes to addressing urban flooding, and identify the ways in which these can be strengthened in order to create an integrated flood and water management framework. Adopting a forward-thinking approach, the Research Handbook also investigates future directions of flood risk management research.The Research Handbook on Flood Risk Management will be an indispensable resource for academics, researchers, and students interested in environmental geography, environmental governance and regulation, urban studies, politics and public policy and the management of natural resources.
Research Handbook on Gender and Diversity in Sport Management (International Handbooks on Gender series)
This groundbreaking Research Handbook adeptly navigates how gender and diversity are addressed in sport management. Offering insight into practices and processes that work to exclude certain groups and practices, and favour others, it highlights how gendered ways of organizing sport are experienced and may be sustained, disrupted, and challenged.Leading international scholars employ theoretical frameworks to comprehensively set out how individuals or groups engaged in leading and managing sport are situated in the social world and engage in managerial practices. Providing a wealth of conceptual analyses, the authors of the various chapters explore diverse feminist theories, perspectives, and methodologies to expertly examine gender-based marginalization in sport management at local and international levels. Expert contributors reveal how women negotiate and navigate gender and intersecting identity categories in sport organizations.Presenting a wide variety of feminist perspectives on sport management, sport organizations, and coaching, this Research Handbook will prove a valuable resource to researchers and undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of sport management and sport sociology. It will also be essential reading for policy makers working in sport organizations.
Research Handbook on Health Care Policy (Elgar Handbooks in Social Policy and Welfare)
Presenting extensive coverage of key theoretical and policy issues within the field of health care research, this forward-looking Research Handbook contends that students of health care need to take policy more seriously.Emphasising the critical importance of policy research and theorising for health care, the Research Handbook argues that analysts of health care policy need to draw on conceptual models of the policy process, in particular the ‘stages model’ and the ‘3 Is’ model of ideas, interests, and institutions. It considers how these models could be applied using specific cases of countries and regions across the globe, bridging the divide between the existing literature on health systems in the global North and global South. Chapters explore the various stages of the policy process, from agenda setting and policy formation to policy implementation and evaluation, before examining central topics such as governance, health care inequalities, long term care, responses to Covid-19, and providing, financing, and regulating health care.This erudite Research Handbook will be an essential resource for postgraduate students and scholars of health care policy, public policy, and health systems research. Its astute analysis of different transnational actors and health care processes across the globe will also benefit policy makers and practitioners working in health care.
Research Handbook on Human Resource Management and Disruptive Technologies (Research Handbooks in Business and Management series)
This comprehensive Research Handbook examines the fundamental influence of emerging disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, online platforms, the internet of things, and social robots, on Human Resource Management (HRM). Bringing together an array of interdisciplinary experts, this erudite Research Handbook analyses the HRM challenges posed by disruptive technologies and develops practical propositions to counteract them. It discusses the navigation of ethical dilemmas, human rights and digital governance in HRM, consumer value in the digital economy, and technology driven changes in HRM practice. Featuring case studies on talent management in multinational enterprises, the engagement of digital generations with contemporary technologies, and the introduction of cobots in the manufacturing industry, contributors expertly explore current discussions and future directions for scholarly research. Promoting a better understanding of critical perspectives on HRM and disruptive technologies, this Handbook will be a vital resource for students, scholars and researchers in business analytics, information systems, knowledge management, organizational innovation, technology and ICT. It will also provide valuable guidance on the effects of emerging technologies for HR and leadership practitioners.
Research Handbook on Inequalities and Work (Elgar Handbooks on Inequality)
This multidisciplinary international Research Handbook on Inequalities and Work, examining disparities within contemporary working life, comes at a critical juncture of global socio-historical change. As the world reels from the impact of economic insecurity, migration, wars, the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, the trans liberation fight, the climate crisis and the rise of Artificial Intelligence, systemic inequalities and their impacts have been thrust into the limelight, alongside the ceaseless struggle for social justice.This Research Handbook sees an impressive array of experts from the Global North and South explore inequality at work from many differing conceptual and methodological perspectives and in multiple national contexts. The chapters showcase cutting-edge research on a highly diverse range of global working environments. The authors consider the interrelated and intersectional influences of identity, social class, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, disability and belief in relation to cultures, organisations, occupations, resistance and regulation and provide unique insights into the complex nature of inequalities in workplaces, informed by contexts and power relations.This Research Handbook will be essential reading for students, academics and researchers interested in organizational behaviour, employment relations, labour policy, human resource management, public policy and sociology. Far-reaching in its scope, it will also prove invaluable for professionals and policymakers looking to improve working conditions across a range of critical areas.
Research Handbook on Inequalities in Later Life (Ageing, Work and Welfare series)
This Research Handbook critically examines the myriad social and economic inequalities faced by those in later life. Contributors dissect examples from the Global North and South to support a new approach to studying ageing that moves beyond popular discourses.Cognisant of the diversity of ageing populations, the Research Handbook on Inequalities in Later Life outlines ways of rebalancing public policy agendas to consider older persons’ ideas and experiences. Throughout the chapters, experts present thought-provoking insights on ageing in the context of the community and the individual by delving into international case studies. They cover a wide range of issues, including employment, gender, wealth, housing, the ageing body, sexuality, indigenous populations, disability, technology, morbidity and mortality. Presenting a progressive framework that prioritises wellbeing as a public good, the Handbook highlights the importance of social connectedness, older people’s advocacy, and further research into the meaning of successful and active ageing.Comprehensive in scope, this stimulating Research Handbook will be invaluable for scholars of gerontology, sociology, anthropology, development studies, comparative social policy, health, labour policy and public policy. It will also be of benefit to policymakers and practitioners in advocacy organisations.
Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Moral Rights (Research Handbooks in Intellectual Property series)
This comprehensive Research Handbook examines moral rights since their establishment in the 19th century and considers the roles they play in the 21st century in relation to the technological environment in which copyright exists. Drawing together rich perspectives on intellectual property law around the world, this Research Handbook provides new insights on the traditional issues of moral rights and analyses more recent challenges in copyright law, patent law, and trademark law. Chapters explore feminist theories of moral rights, the intellectual creations underlying trademarks, artificial intelligence and moral rights, as well as the protection of moral rights in China, Greece, Japan, and Latin America, among other regions. The Research Handbook also examines economic and other non-legal perspectives, as well as authors’ perspectives on what copyright and moral rights protection means to them. With contributions from both academic scholars and practising lawyers, this Research Handbook is a unique resource that will be essential reading for scholars and students in intellectual property, and for all those with an interest in copyright law.
Research Handbook on Intellectual Property Rights and Arbitration (Research Handbooks in Intellectual Property series)
The Research Handbook on Intellectual Property Rights and Arbitration explores the complementary relationship between state court adjudication and arbitral proceedings in the context of intellectual property rights. Presenting contemporary research and insight into the scholarly debates on the topic, it provides a comprehensive overview of arbitrating intellectual property disputes on an international scale.Bringing together an array of distinguished academics and professionals from across the globe, the central theme of this Research Handbook is the relationship between intellectual property and arbitration in general. Individual chapters consider such questions as the arbitrability of intellectual property disputes, suitable arbitration bodies, and the protection of trade secrets in arbitral proceedings. Specific fields of intellectual property arbitration such as licensing, copyright and domain name disputes are deftly considered alongside investor-state dispute settlement, whilst national perspectives on intellectual property arbitration are also surveyed.Both incisive and authoritative, this Research Handbook will prove essential for researchers and students who are interested in intellectual property law and dispute resolution. Legal practitioners active in arbitrating intellectual property disputes will similarly benefit from the applied nature of the text.
Research Handbook on Intellectual Property Rights and Inclusivity (Research Handbooks in Intellectual Property series)
This insightful Research Handbook discusses how exclusive intellectual property rights can affect inclusivity within individual, community and business contexts. It employs urban and rural frameworks to provide a multidimensional view of contemporary inclusivity and its relationship with intellectual property. The Research Handbook on Intellectual Property Rights and Inclusivity brings together a carefully selected array of international experts to explore the significant challenges faced when fostering equal treatment for individuals and organisations, including freedom of expression disputes and potential difficulties when providing smaller platforms with market access. Contributors offer invaluable insight on the use of contracts as potential tools for inclusivity, and how enforcement can impact the well-being of diverse businesses, ranging from pharmaceutical ventures to insurance. Ultimately, this timely Research Handbook expresses how intellectual property rights impede on inclusivity to a significant degree. This Research Handbook will be imperative for academics and students focusing on commercial inclusivity, discrimination law and the legal dimensions of intellectual property. Due to its detailed analysis of methodology, it will also be a significant resource for researchers in these areas.
Research Handbook on Intergenerational Inequality (Elgar Handbooks on Inequality)
The Research Handbook on Intergenerational Inequality is motivated by a core question in social science: to what extent does one’s family background and childhood experience predict success in life? This innovative Research Handbook provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary account of research on intergenerational inequality, focusing on its origins in sociology and economics.Expert contributors explore patterns of intergenerational persistence, how mobility varies for different groups, and the processes through which intergenerational inequality is produced. Chapters cover a range of novel topics including the intergenerational reproduction of elites, parental joblessness and its intergenerational impact, and the role of migration for intergenerational mobility. Bringing together experts from across the globe and from a variety of social science disciplines, the Research Handbook campaigns for greater cross-fertilisation between disciplinary boundaries and encourages future researchers to develop a deeper understanding of current mobility in order to better inform and improve social policy.This incisive Research Handbook will serve as a crucial reference point for researchers, scholars and students of social sciences, sociology, social policy, and economics. Its practical applications will also be highly beneficial for policymakers and practitioners working in social affairs.