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 had hoped that we would all be starting 2021 a little easier - particularly with the announcements of vaccinations and lateral flow testing across the world - unfortunately for a lot of colleagues, we have once again been thrown into turmoil - closing buildings, changing learning patterns and increasing our constant support for students.