Emerald Studies in Plural Policing book series

This book series is aligned with the International Network on ‘The Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing’ which is hosted by the School of Law at the University of Leeds.

Synopsis of the book series

It has become a truism that policing is no longer the exclusive domain of the police, but is rather carried out by a wide range of public, private and voluntary actors. Over the past three or so decades, our comparative understanding of ‘plural policing’ has moved forward considerably. An ever growing number of scholars have contributed towards the process of mapping out both the multiplicity of actors tasked with delivering policing functions on the ground and the array of regulatory structures responsible for steering these functions from above. Much less is known, however, about what happens when these policing actors and regulatory structures interact with one another on a daily basis.

To address this gap, we are pushing forward a research agenda on the ‘Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing’. At the core of this agenda are three questions. How do public, private and voluntary policing actors on the ground interpret and negotiate their way through the diversity of regulatory structures they encounter on an everyday level? What kinds of social, political and economic order does this process bring into effect? How does this structure-agency dynamic play out within and across different parts of the globe? In seeking out answers to these questions we are interested not only in the formal characteristics of policing and regulatory institutions, but also about the mediating role of emotions, identity, culture and other less formal dimensions. 

This book series aims to provide an international cross-disciplinary platform through which to study this research agenda. It will draw upon innovative research and conceptual insights from anthropology, criminology, geography, international development, international relations, law, peace studies, policy studies, political sciences, security studies, sociology and urban studies. It will open up and explore some of the challenges involved in harnessing the dispersed knowledge, expertise, capacities, assets and resources which contribute to public safety. It will focus on both the quality of the relations between actors and the considerable governance challenges of policing through plural networks and security assemblages. In summary, this book series will carve out a new subfield in policing studies.

Series Editors

Adam Crawford, The University of Leeds

Tessa Diphoorn, Utrecht University

Adam White, The University of Sheffield

International Editorial Board

An International Editorial board will assist the editors in recruiting potential authors for the book series. The following are the names of the scholars which have agreed (so far) to be on the board.