Although the study of civil society has largely confined itself to the study of organizations, there is growing interest in understanding the broader contexts and enabling conditions for a healthy and effective civil society. At the same time, the spread of low cost communication systems in the last two decades has helped spur interest in applying the science of networks to social groups and social phenomena. We are pleased to announce the inaugural issue of the Journal of Networks and Civil Society. This is the second thematic issue in our journal series and is intended to complement the previous issue which focused on information technology.