The impact of research has been growing ever more important not only in its own right, but as a factor that feeds into funding decisions at both institutional and individual levels. We are therefore pleased to present a Working Paper written by the Director of PASCAL and CR&DALL, Professor Mike Osborne, in which he assesses the cumulative impact of research that assesses the cumulative effect of research that has systematically measured, mapped and analysed learning provision at urban/regional level, contributing internationally to developing learning cities over decades.

In this issue we feature 7 current papers on the theme of social capital, chosen by Fabio Sabatini (Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”):

I noticed recently that Barcelona has just appointed a night-time mayor to oversee and co-ordinate city activities to support its growing night-time economy, seen as vital to the quality of life and prosperity of the city. They are not the first to create such a post. Amsterdam pioneered a Night Mayor in 2012, Paris has a Night Council to link with governance structures and stakeholders.

Any complete explanation for why the American citizenry is so divided would have to include a combination of factors like economic inequality, media Influence, mistrust in institutions, urban and rural interests, globalization, and technological advances.