Public Encounters: Advancing the Study and Practice of Citizen-State Relationships
Public Encounters: Advancing the Study and Practice of Citizen-State Relationships
The sub-field of public encounters has significant untapped potential to advance the study and practice of citizen-state relationships. The main aim of this special issue is to put the spotlight on this growing literature on relational dynamics between citizens and agents of the state. In this editorial introduction, we synthesise emerging empirical and conceptual insights across the special issue articles and wider literature to explain the profound real-world impact of public encounters and highlight the added value of public encounters as an analytical lens. We identify three cross-cutting avenues for studying public encounters: recognising recurrent encounters, clarifying relational dynamics, and recasting politics, power, and emotion. We make the case that extant scholarship can no longer afford to keep ignoring or eliding public encounters. By highlighting the practical and conceptual significance of public encounters, this editorial contributes to developing an interdisciplinary agenda for studying and improving citizen-state relationships
citizen-state relationships, communication, digitisation, emotion, power, public encounters, relational dynamics
233-239
Bartels, Koen
fa35920d-93e2-4a7c-ae6a-be26ce36137d
Verloo, Nanke
6e1a97b1-8020-44b3-93bb-d001f377beed
Boswell, John
34bad0df-3d4d-40ce-948f-65871e3d783c
March 2026
Bartels, Koen
fa35920d-93e2-4a7c-ae6a-be26ce36137d
Verloo, Nanke
6e1a97b1-8020-44b3-93bb-d001f377beed
Boswell, John
34bad0df-3d4d-40ce-948f-65871e3d783c
Bartels, Koen, Verloo, Nanke and Boswell, John
(2026)
Public Encounters: Advancing the Study and Practice of Citizen-State Relationships.
Social Policy & Administration, 60 (2), .
(doi:10.1111/spol.70058).
Abstract
The sub-field of public encounters has significant untapped potential to advance the study and practice of citizen-state relationships. The main aim of this special issue is to put the spotlight on this growing literature on relational dynamics between citizens and agents of the state. In this editorial introduction, we synthesise emerging empirical and conceptual insights across the special issue articles and wider literature to explain the profound real-world impact of public encounters and highlight the added value of public encounters as an analytical lens. We identify three cross-cutting avenues for studying public encounters: recognising recurrent encounters, clarifying relational dynamics, and recasting politics, power, and emotion. We make the case that extant scholarship can no longer afford to keep ignoring or eliding public encounters. By highlighting the practical and conceptual significance of public encounters, this editorial contributes to developing an interdisciplinary agenda for studying and improving citizen-state relationships
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Accepted/In Press date: 7 February 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 February 2026
Published date: March 2026
Keywords:
citizen-state relationships, communication, digitisation, emotion, power, public encounters, relational dynamics
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 511282
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/511282
ISSN: 0144-5596
PURE UUID: 8c9f574f-4338-49b9-a027-39339dabf1e7
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Date deposited: 11 May 2026 16:44
Last modified: 14 May 2026 01:46
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Contributors
Author:
Koen Bartels
Author:
Nanke Verloo
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