For better or for worse? Into the future

The purposes of this chapter are to reflect on the preceding contributions to the Handbook on the Ministerial Adviser, and to chart possible methodological, theoretical, and empirical dimensions of the future study of ministerial advisers. The initial sections comprise reflections on recurring themes within the Handbook, including the tension between agency and structure. Subsequently, elements of a future research agenda are laid out. Attention is paid to the importance of comparative research, and specifically to extending the literature on advisers into parts of the world that are presently under-researched. Several challenges confronting researchers are discussed, including the implications of both exogenous developments (such as the rise of populism) and endogenous processes (notably the decolonisation of Western academic traditions).