Advances in Social Sciences and Management

Maritime Terrorism in the Indian Ocean Region: Evolving Threats, Emerging Technologies, and Strategic Responses

Md. Ataus Samad Raju — 2026-09-08

Over the past two decades and more, maritime terrorism in the Indian Ocean Region has evolved from relatively limited ac-tivities such as hijackings and coastal damage into a more complex and technologically sophisticated threat that increasingly endangers global sea lines of communication and maritime trade. Today, terrorist groups exploit advanced navigation sys-tems, cyber tools, unmanned platforms, and transnational criminal networks, often operating through unprotected choke-points and fragile coastal governance structures, while also associating with piracy and organized crime. Although numerous regional and international responses, including naval collaboration, maritime domain awareness initiatives, and coun-ter-terrorism frameworks, have been implemented, they remain fragmented and largely reactive, limiting their effectiveness against an adaptive threat environment. The study therefore emphasizes the need for an all-inclusive and forward-looking maritime security strategy grounded in multilateral cooperation, legal harmonization, technological unification, capacity development, and socio-economic growth of coastal communities to ensure long-term stability in the Indian Ocean maritime domain.

From Athletics Scandals to Student Relationships: The Roles of Response Credibility and University Reputation

Geumchan Hwang — 2026-09-10

This study examines how college students evaluate university responses to college athletics scandals by integrating Situational Crisis Communication Theory and relationship management theory. Using survey data collected from 491 U.S. college students and structural equation modeling, the study investigates the relationships among scandal perception, perceived credibility of a university’s scandal response, university reputation, and relational satisfaction. The findings indicate that students’ perceptions of athletics scandals positively influence the perceived credibility of the university’s response. In turn, response credibility significantly enhances university reputation, which subsequently strengthens students’ relational satisfaction. The results highlight the critical role of credible crisis communication in protecting institutional reputation and fostering positive stakeholder relationships during athletics-related crises. By extending crisis communication research to the higher education athletics context, this study offers both theoretical contributions and practical implications for university administrators seeking to develop effective communication strategies during organizational crises.

Child-First Theory: Exposing Equity Fraud at Yale Law School

Bishnu Pathak — 2026-09-23

The Child-First Theory (CFT) is a novel normative and interdisciplinary framework that positions children and newborns as the primary benchmark for rights, righteousness, political lawfulness, governance, and public policy, regardless of circumstances. Developed within the Fair Start Movement (FSM), the theory critiques elite jurisprudence, exemplified by Yale Law School (YLS), for potentially reproducing inequity through rhetorical commitments to fairness while insufficiently addressing structural inequalities and upstream determinants of justness. Thus, the conflict between FSM and YLS reflects divergent conceptions of justice, equity, and legitimacy: FSM emphasizes birth equity, child-centered rights, ecological sustainability, and upstream structural transformation, whereas YLS prioritizes constitutional rights, adult autonomy, legal precedent, procedural safeguards, and incremental reform. The CFT reconceptualizes political legitimacy as contingent upon measurable empowerment from birth rather than procedural steadiness alone, while integrating ecosocial sustainability and intergenerational responsibility. Employing a qualitative comparative methodology, this study examines documented exchanges between FSM and YLS since 2021 through an integrated analytical framework drawing on conflict, Grundnorm, equitywashing, disenfranchisement, baseline, Ponzi scheme, impact-fraud, and conflict-transformation theories. Drawing additionally on the philosophical contributions of Philip Pettit and Sarah Conly, it argues for institutional reforms centered on parental preparedness, social responsibility, and ecological stewardship. Ultimately, the theory proposes an upstream, peaceful conflict transformation model that integrates indirect-direct mediation, informal-formal dialogue, institutional accountability, and structural reform to address the root causes of inequity.

The Empathetic Leader: Exploring the Role of Emotional Awareness and Perspective-Taking in Effective Leadership

Mercy Asaa Asiedu — 2026-09-10

Empathy is increasingly recognized as an important capability for effective leadership, yet its underlying processes remain conceptually fragmented. This conceptual paper examines how emotional awareness and perspective-taking jointly shape empathetic leadership and contribute to leadership effectiveness. Drawing on a structured integrative review and conceptual synthesis of leadership, organizational behavior, and workplace empathy literature, the paper identifies emotional awareness and perspective-taking as distinct but complementary capabilities. Emotional awareness enables leaders to recognize employees’ emotional states, while perspective-taking helps leaders interpret those experiences from the employee’s viewpoint. The synthesis further indicates that empathetic leadership can strengthen trust, respect, psychological safety, and the quality of leader-employee relationships. However, empathy does not automatically improve leadership outcomes and must be accompanied by context-sensitive managerial judgement. Based on these insights, the paper proposes a conceptual framework linking emotional awareness and perspective-taking to empathetic leadership, leader-employee relationship quality, and leadership effectiveness. Four propositions are developed to guide future empirical research. The paper contributes to leadership literature by conceptualizing empathy as a dynamic relational process rather than a single leader trait and offers practical implications for leadership development, training, and organizational practice.

Assessing the Impact of Generative AI on Labour Market Across Europe: An ANP Approach

Ana-Alessia Andrei — 2026-09-21

This paper studies how Generative AI affects labour markets in ten EU countries within the regulatory framework of the EU AI Act. Using the Analytic Network Process (ANP), it compares countries based on factors related to AI exposure, workforce skills, technological adoption, innovation, and labour-market resilience. The results show significant differences between European countries, as each labour market responds differently to changes in the factors considered. Overall, the study shows that the same AI regulation can have different effects across Member States because their labour markets have different levels of preparedness and resilience. Therefore, the EU AI Act should be supported by more targeted policies adapted to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of each country.

From Republic to Emirate: The Transfer, Absorption, and Displacement of Social Capital in Post-2021 Afghanistan

Shaul M. Gabbay — 2026-09-23

The Taliban's return to power in August 2021 is often narrated as a sharp institutional rupture: one government collapsed and another replaced it within days. Yet beneath the level of formal government, Afghanistan's social capital, meaning the networks, norms, and trust relations that allow collective action and administrative functioning, did not vanish, and it did not transfer wholesale either. This paper develops a framework for analyzing how social capital accumulated under the Republic (2001–2021), and in some cases under earlier regimes stretching back to the monarchy, has been selectively inherited, co-opted, reconfigured, or destroyed by the Taliban's Islamic Emirate. Using Putnam's and Bourdieu's distinctions between bonding, bridging, and linking capital, and drawing on current governance, media-freedom, and gender-equality data, the paper argues that Taliban consolidation rested on a differentiated strategy: absorbing sub-national bureaucratic and revenue-generating capacity where it lacked substitutes, tolerating and rapidly expanding religious and madrassa networks that predated the Republic, and dismantling the urban, cross-ethnic, and internationally linked civil society and women's networks that most threatened its authority. Quantitative indicators presented here, spanning state revenue collection, media-sector contraction, ethnic composition of the leadership, and gender-parity measures, substantiate this differentiated pattern with figures rather than impression alone.

The Hospital Library as Clinical Infrastructure

Eleni Semertzidou — 2026-09-21

Hospital libraries have evolved beyond their traditional role as repositories of books and journals to become an integral component of the clinical, educational, and research infrastructure of modern healthcare institutions. This article examines the hospital library as a dynamic knowledge service that connects scientific evidence with clinical decision-making, professional education, research support, and patient information. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the health sciences librarian in identifying, evaluating, organising, and delivering reliable evidence at the point of need. The article discusses the contribution of clinical librarianship to evidence-based practice, information literacy, patient and caregiver health literacy, digital transformation, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. It also considers the organisational and economic value of library services and proposes six pillars for an effective modern hospital library: qualified professional staffing, integration into clinical and administrative teams, seamless digital access, continuing education, services for patients and caregivers, and systematic evaluation based on clinical and organisational indicators. The hospital library is ultimately presented not as a passive repository of information, but as an active knowledge infrastructure that helps transform reliable scientific information into informed decisions and better healthcare.

Beyond Spectatorship: A Macro–Meso–Micro Framework for Understanding Social Well-being through Rugby Spectatorship

Koh Sasaki — 2026-09-21

Sport spectatorship is increasingly recognized as a vital contributor to individual well-being and community development. However, the mechanisms through which sport experiences generate broader social well-being remain insufficiently understood, particularly when quantitative and qualitative perspectives are examined in isolation. The present study aimed to evaluate the multidimensional social value of rugby spectatorship by proposing an integrated macro–meso–micro analytical framework. Questionnaire data obtained from 14,851 Japanese rugby spectators were analyzed. Five psychosocial factors—Stress Relief, Work Efficiency, Social Bond, Physical Health, and Corporate Favorability—were specified as predictor variables, with Social Well-being as the primary outcome. At the macro level, correspondence analysis evaluated age-related variations in psychosocial values. At the meso level, a multilayer perceptron neural network (R² = 0.71) combined with explainable artificial intelligence (XAI)—including Random Forest Feature Importance, SHAP, and Standardized Partial Regression Coefficients—quantified predictor contributions. At the micro level, 12,238 open-ended responses regarding spectators' happiest moments were analyzed using morphological analysis and a Jaccard index-based co-occurrence network. The XAI results revealed that Corporate Favorability (41.7%) and Physical Health (22.0%) were the strongest predictors of Social Well-being, followed by Work Efficiency (13.3%), Stress Relief (13.0%), and Social Bond (10.1%). Correspondence analysis demonstrated distinct generational priorities: younger spectators prioritized relational and emotional outcomes (Social Bond, Stress Relief), whereas older spectators favored functional health and daily performance outcomes (Physical Health, Work Efficiency). Text mining further illustrates that spectator happiness stems from interconnected themes of match performance, social connection, and rugby-specific cultural values (e.g., "No Side" spirit, mutual respect). By integrating macro, meso, and micro perspectives, this study extends sport consumer behavior theories beyond individual consumption toward societal outcomes, providing empirical support for sport management, sponsorship evaluation, and Social Return on Investment (SROI) applications.

An Essay on Voting Rights in the United States: Continuing the History of Discrimination Against Minority Voters or the Subject of Permissible Partisan Gerrymandering?

Richard J. Hunter — 2026-10-02

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) transformed American democracy by giving the federal government practical tools to combat racial discrimination in voting, most notably through Section 5 preclearance and Section 2 litigation. This article examines whether the United States Supreme Court has so limited those tools that the Act no longer fulfills its historic purpose. It situates the VRA within the history of Black disenfranchisement and the events surrounding Selma’s Bloody Sunday, then analyzes the Court’s modern voting-rights jurisprudence. Shelby County v. Holder disabled the Section 5 preclearance regime by invalidating its coverage formula; Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee narrowed the availability of Section 2 vote-denial claims; and subsequent redistricting decisions have intensified the tension between remedies for racial vote dilution and constitutional limits on race-conscious districting. Although the VRA remains in force, and Congress retains authority to enact a contemporary coverage formula, the Court’s decisions have shifted enforcement from proactive federal review to slower, more costly, and less certain postelection litigation. The article concludes that the VRA has not been erased, but its capacity to prevent and remedy racial discrimination in voting has been significantly weakened.

Reimagining the Spirituality of the Ministerial Priesthood

Okechukwu Cajetan Ani — 2026-10-09

Spirituality of the ministerial priesthood is intertwined with the ministry and apostolate of the ministerial priest in the Church. And a ministerial priest is a presbyter (ἐπισκοποι – presbyteroi), who must understand that he is an elder and overseer entrusted with pastoral leadership, service in the Church and spiritual welfare of the flock. However, the spirituality of the ministerial priesthood which guides the priest in discharging these services to the members of the Church, is at a low ebb. Therefore, this paper argues that every ministerial priest needs to recover this spirituality if he must be a true “witness to the sufferings of Christ [and] tend the flock of God entrusted into [his] care not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit, but eagerly… not lording it over them, but be exemplary to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:1-4). Since he shares in the ministry of Christ, he must take Christ as his model in pastoral leadership, care, service and spiritual welfare in the Church. Thus, every ministerial priest must develop and internalize this spirituality as it empowers him to lead and offer the flock, the spiritual and pastoral care devoid of any desire for financial reward and worldly superior status. The paper concludes that there is need to revive the spirituality of the ministerial priesthood for effective ministry in the Church.

Gender Disparities in Online Postgraduate Education: Graduate Perceptions of Quality and Career Impact

Danisa Salinas — 2026-10-09

This study examined perceived quality of massive online postgraduate programs and their impact on employment outcomes from a gender perspective. A descriptive-exploratory quantitative study was conducted with 815 graduates (2020–2025) from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at a private Latin American university. Participants completed a 19-item Likert-scale questionnaire assessing seven quality dimensions: planning, evaluation, learning resources, student support, faculty performance, technological platform, and graduate employment outcomes. Overall, graduates reported high satisfaction with program quality (α = .93); however, significant gender disparities emerged. Women reported lower technical support satisfaction (84.2% vs. 89.7% for men) and lower employment outcomes (68.9% employed in related fields vs. 77.5% for men; 65.5% perceiving improved opportunities vs. 75.6% for men). Findings underscore persistent structural inequities affecting women's return to work, including time constraints and digital inequality. Institutional policies promoting inclusive practices, equity-focused technologies, and longitudinal graduate tracking are recommended to ensure educational justice and gender-sensitive employability.

Hidden Curriculum of the American Officer Corps: The Impact of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) on Urban University Student Leadership Development and Career Readiness Through the Lens of Social Capital and Social Cognitive Theories

Mark A. Douglass — 2026-10-09

Colleges and universities are accountable not only for the knowledge they transmit but for the networks their students carry into the labor market. Previous research has established that structured, network-rich programs move persistence and completion outcomes, most for the first-generation and underrepresented students institutions serve worst (Crisp & Cruz, 2009; Komives et al., 2005). Institutions measure or deliberately build the relational infrastructure through which opportunity travels. This qualitative study examined how former Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets who commissioned from urban universities and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) described the program’s influence on leadership development and career readiness, using Social Capital Theory (SCT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCogT) as the study framework. The study was designed to explore how a structured military training environment fosters leadership competencies, professional identity formation, and career preparedness by analyzing data from semi-structured interviews. The study sampled fifteen participants, all Black or African American commissioned officers whose service spans four decades. The data collected during the interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis of participant responses. The major themes that emerged from the findings for ROTC’s impact on leadership development and career readiness were Leadership Through Structured Responsibility, Communication as a Core Leadership Competency, Confidence and Influence Under Pressure, Feedback Loops and Reflective Growth, and Professionalism and Discipline as Enduring Attributes. The social capital themes were Mentorship as a Readiness Accelerator, Shared Identity and Belonging, Networks as Opportunity Structures, Cohort-Based Learning Communities, and Uneven Access to Social Capital. The social cognitive themes were Self-Efficacy Development, Observational Learning, Leader Identity Internalization, Self-Regulation and Continuous Improvement, and Patience and Delegation Development. The major findings also indicated that ROTC functions as a social capital engine whose benefits were powerful but unequally distributed.