Advances in Social Sciences and Management

Theory of Political Equity from Birth

Professor Bishnu Pathak, PhD — 2026-06-03

Equity from birth is the core principle of the Fair Start Movement (FSM), emphasizing justice and legitimacy starting at birth to ensure every child begins life with equal dignity, participation, and empowerment. This principle challenges traditional human rights discourse by prioritizing proactive fairness to prevent systemic disadvantage. It reframes freedom, democracy, and sustainability in the cosmic order as incomplete without fairness at birth, making the empowerment of newborns the moral foundation for governance. The study explores various theoretical frameworks, including rights, contract, justice, intergenerational, bottom-up, and liberty theories, to show how fairness at birth sustains legitimacy and ecological balance. Rights theory recognizes human rights from birth, extending dignity to animals in the ecological web. Contract theory views legitimacy as a covenant owed to children and ecosystems. Justice theory dismantles privilege at birth and promotes compassion toward animals. Intergenerational theory ensures equity for future generations and species, while bottom-up theory emphasizes community-based respect for ecosystems. Liberty theory links freedom to equitable birth conditions and ethical responsibility toward nonhuman life. Through experiential observation and comparative analysis of Western and Eastern philosophies, the paper positions equity from birth as a moral truth and political imperative. FSM promotes a sustainable democracy rooted in ecological stewardship, collective responsibility, and justice for all communities, human and nonhuman. The author embraces the philosophy of “I know that I do not know,” welcoming critique, feedback, dialogue, and further research to advance political equity from birth.

Principles for Lending Books to Oncology Patients in Hospitals within a Holistic Care Framework

Eleni Semertzidou — 2026-06-20

Integrating hospital library lending services into oncological care supports patients’ psychological wellbeing, information needs, and sense of identity beyond illness. Internationally, bibliotherapy and patient-centered library programs are associated with reduced anxiety and depression, improved coping, and enhanced patient experience when implemented with clear infection prevention and control (IPC) safeguards and ethical, equity-focused practices. This article synthesizes international guidance on hospital library services and bibliotherapy, reviews IPC and environmental hygiene considerations specific to immunocompromised oncology populations, and proposes practice principles tailored for hospital librarians. We compare international norms with the evolving Greek context, where oncology hospitals increasingly integrate library-led initiatives under clinical governance. Practical recommendations, risk stratification, and workflow models are provided to enable safe, equitable, and evidence-informed lending programs in oncology settings.

Balancing Innovation and Dignity: The Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Contemporary Workplace

Stephen O. Okojie — 2026-06-18

This qualitative study examined the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on human dignity in modern workplaces through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching principles, including the common good, subsidiarity, solidarity, human rights, and social justice. Using semi-structured interviews with 22 participants from various sectors—including healthcare, education, and technology- this research used thematic analysis to explore AI's dual role as both an enabler of meaningful work and a potential threat to worker autonomy. Results showed that while AI can increase productivity by reducing mundane tasks, concerns remain about workplace surveillance, algorithmic decision-making, and the loss of personal agency. Participants called for a governance approach that emphasizes ethical considerations and worker involvement, highlighting the importance of integrating human dignity into AI deployment strategies. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on responsible AI governance by offering insights into the ethical framework needed to create inclusive workplaces that respect human dignity and support the common good. Ultimately, the findings underscore the urgent need for organizations to implement dignity-centered governance models that ensure accountability, transparency, and meaningful worker participation amid rapidly advancing technologies.

A Survivor of the Nova Festival: A Therapeutic Process Within the Relational Psychoanalytic Approach

Vardit Zerem-Ulman — 2026-06-18

This paper examines the treatment of complex post-trauma through a relational approach that facilitates the rehabilitation of internal home feelings, the internal representation of the mother, coping with survivor's guilt through empathy, and the internal resonance experience of the therapist. It highlights the therapist's participation and creativity, which allowed her to "break through" conventional psychoanalytic boundaries for the sake of closeness and reciprocal identification: therapist – patient.

Naïve Psychology: Ten Good Reasons not to Stop at Appearances

Edoardo Casiglia — 2026-06-16

Human beings navigate daily life by relying on a set of implicit assumptions about reality, assumptions so deeply ingrained as to appear self-evident. This paper examines ten of these assumptions, collectively termed naïve psychology, and demonstrates that each of them, when subjected to rigorous scientific and philosophical scrutiny, proves to be fundamentally mistaken. The ten beliefs examined are: the certainty of one's own existence and that of the external world; the solidity of matter; the separability of individual entities; the unity and localisation of the Ego; the knowledge of one's own spatial position; the ability to distinguish dreaming from waking; the perception of living in real time; the attribution of responsibility for one's actions; the existence of free will; and the meaningfulness of synchronicities and coincidences. Drawing on evidence from neuroscience, quantum physics, philosophy of mind, analytical psychology, anthropology, and experimental hypnosis research, the paper argues that naïve psychology – whilst evolutionarily adaptive – systematically distorts our perception of reality. Matter is granular and never truly solid; personal identity is a constructed fiction; the Ego is neither unitary nor reliably localised within the brain; perception is always delayed; and voluntary action is initiated unconsciously, well before the Ego becomes aware of it, as demonstrated by the landmark experiments of Libet and colleagues and subsequently confirmed by neuroimaging studies. These findings carry profound implications for jurisprudence, particularly regarding the concepts of free will, criminal responsibility, and the capacity to understand and act voluntarily. If decisions are made unconsciously before reaching awareness, the legal notion of conscious intent requires urgent re-examination. The paper concludes that naïve psychology, though indispensable for everyday functioning, represents a systematic and pervasive misreading of reality, one that science, philosophy, and depth psychology have only recently begun to correct.

Conceptual Metaphors in Obama’s and Trump’s Inaugural Speeches: Some Similarities and Differences

Hong Nguyen — 2026-06-12

This study investigates the conceptual metaphors employed in the inaugural speeches of Barack Obama (2009) and Donald Trump (2017). The Metaphor Identification Procedure (Pragglejaz Group, 2007) is used to systematically identify, categorize, and compare common source domains and typical conceptual metaphors across the two speeches. The quantitative method is employed to count the number of both source domains and conceptual metaphors. The results reveal that Obama and Trump draw on universally source domains such as HUMAN / PERSON, JOURNEY, BUILDING, FAMILY, WAR, PLANT and ANIMAL, reflecting common cognitive structures and the generic conventions of inaugural rhetoric. The results also show that typical conceptual metaphors used by both politicians are NATION IS A PERSON, POLITICS IS A JOURNEY, NATION IS A BUILDING, NATION IS A FAMILY, POLITICS IS A WAR, NATION IS A TREE/PLANT. However, their dominant metaphors diverge markedly along ideological lines. Particularly, Obama's rhetoric is defined primarily by the JOURNEY, BUILDING, and FAMILY metaphors, constructing national identity as a collaborative, inclusive, and forward-moving project, while Trump's is defined by the WAR, DECAY and RESTORATION, BODY and HEALTH metaphors, framing political reality as adversarial conflict and national decline requiring restorative intervention. These differences are shown to reflect and reproduce opposing ideological visions rooted in their respective party traditions. The findings confirm the complementarity of CMT and CDA for the analysis of political discourses contributing to empirical research on American presidential discourses and underscoring the importance of metaphor awareness for critical engagement with political language.

The Politically Captured Meritocracy of Civil Servants and Its Implications for Regional Productivity and Investment

Ira Akhmadi — 2026-06-09

This study aims to analyze how the struggle for meritocracy within the State Civil Apparatus (ASN), shaped by regional heads' political interests, affects bureaucratic productivity and regional investment. This problem arises from the practice of post-election bureaucratic politicization, which places political loyalty above professional competence in job placement, career promotion, and the distribution of ASN welfare. This condition has weakened the merit system, reduced the quality of public services, and increased regional economic transaction costs. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with ASN, regional officials, and business actors, as well as analysis of policy documents and media coverage. The results show that ASN politicization has led to increased non-merit transfers, bureaucratic uncertainty, delays in business licensing, and decreased certainty in regional economic regulations. Patronage practices have also led to low professional motivation among ASN and distortions in APBD management that are not aligned with development priorities. As a result, regional investment realization stagnates, business costs increase, and local economic competitiveness weakens. This study concludes that meritocratic civil service is a crucial institutional foundation for regional economic productivity. The seizure of meritocracy by political interests not only undermines governance but also creates structural economic disadvantages that hinder sustainable regional development.

A Teaching Process to Develop Collaborative Problem-solving Competence for Pre-service Early Childhood Teachers through Child Physiology Courses

Phan Thi Thanh Hoi — 2026-05-30

Developing Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) competence is a critical goal in higher education, particularly for future educators who must navigate complex pedagogical contexts. This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a structured teaching process to foster CPS competence among first-year pre-service early childhood teachers at three pedagogical universities in Vietnam (Hue, Da Nang, and Nghe An). The research employed a mixed-methods approach with a quasi-experimental design, utilizing a specific framework of five component skills and 16 indicators tailored to the "Child Physiology" course. Data were collected using a rubric-based assessment with high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.967 to 0.980). The instructional intervention was conducted through three iterative phases using situational-based and flipped learning models. Quantitative analysis via SPSS 20.0 revealed statistically significant improvements in students' CPS competence across all dimensions. Specifically, the mean scores for component skills increased substantially from a range of 2.34–2.73 (Approaching Proficiency) in the first phase to 3.86–3.97 (Mastery) in the final phase (p < 0.001). These findings confirm that the proposed teaching process effectively bridges the gap between biological theory and professional childcare practice. The study offers a validated, scalable methodological framework for integrating competency-based education into subject-specific teacher training programs.

The Impact of Project Function Integration on Achieving Competitive Advantage for Business Organizations: A Case Study of the Arab Sudanese Vegetable Oil Company

Kabashey Mohammed Hamed Nour Eldin — 2026-06-05

This study aimed to examine the impact of project function integration on achieving competitive advantage for business organizations, specifically focusing on the Arab Sudanese Vegetable Oil Company. The descriptive-analytical approach was employed. A questionnaire was designed to collect data. The research population consisted of all employees of the Arab Sudanese Vegetable Oil Company, totaling 673 individuals. A purposive sample was selected from the company's main departments (production, human resources, marketing, purchasing, and finance). The sample size was determined using Steven Thompson's formula. Eighty questionnaires were distributed, and 67 were returned (84%), of which 66 were valid for analysis. Several statistical methods were used, including factor analysis, dependency analysis, correlation, and regression. The study reached several conclusions, including a positive relationship between training and meeting customer needs. The beta value for the variable was 0.255, and the significance level was 0.028. The study also recommended that the company increase its focus on project functions (production, human resources, marketing, procurement, and finance) to better meet customer needs.

From Social Work to Socialwork: Client Agency, the Architecture of Choice, Boundary Constraints, PM-Theta-PHI, and the Structure of Belonging, Becoming, Building, and Bridging

Colin G Benjamin — 2026-06-09

This follow-up article argues that the strongest way to clarify the identity of the field is to distinguish Socialwork, Social Work, and social work as three visible but ordered forms of one discipline. social work names the lived practical encounter; Social Work names the organised professional and methodological formation; Socialwork names the canonical and philosophical horizon of the field. These distinctions become clearer when aligned with PM-Theta-PHI: Practice, Method, Theory, and Philosophy as an ordered structure of belonging, becoming, building, and bridging. The article then uses the supplied program-slide differentiations between a Traditional Model and a Client Agency Model to show that the deepest issue in contemporary practice is not whether services are delivered competently, but whether programs widen shared and increasingly self-sustaining agency. The Traditional Model is necessary for governance, continuity, and institutional accountability, yet it is incomplete when it remains worker-directed in its definitions of planning, coordination, and success. The Client Agency Model better expresses the field's disciplinary purpose because it reorganises thresholds, pathways, progress review, and outcomes around capability, confidence, voice, control, and client-shaped participation. A final contribution is operational. The article introduces additional boundary constraints for Socialwork and treats PM-Theta-PHI as the structure through which belonging, becoming, building, and bridging can be rendered professionally visible. Within this frame, the architecture of choice is understood as a bounded and recursive lattice of neighbouring moves. Socialwork is therefore not a promise of unbounded autonomy but a disciplined practice of making better next actions more thinkable, more legitimate, and more achievable under real constraints. The result is a journal follow-up account of the field as a profession of shared agency rather than a service system of managed dependency.

Unregulated Labour in Private Spaces: A Socio-Legal Analysis of Domestic Work in Urban India

LRK Krishnan — 2026-05-29

Domestic work in urban India remains persistently informal and weakly regulated despite employing millions of predominantly female and migrant workers within the informal economy. This study examines the socio-economic conditions, legal awareness, and employment realities of domestic workers across Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai using a qualitative socio-legal approach. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 36 domestic workers and Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, the findings reveal recurring patterns of employment fragmentation, institutional exclusion, migration-driven vulnerability, and workplace exploitation. The study develops an integrated analytical framework combining Quality of Life (QOL), Quality of Working Life (QWL), Quality of Employment (QOE), and Quality of Work (QOW). It conceptualizes QOW as an independent dimension of labour precarity, capturing task degradation, occupational stigma, and embodied labour conditions within domestic work. The findings demonstrate that migrant domestic workers experience intensified vulnerability due to dependence on informal intermediaries, limited urban social capital, and weak bargaining power. The study further shows that domestic workers are concentrated in low-status and physically demanding tasks such as sanitation work, waste handling, and repetitive cleaning, reinforcing occupational hierarchies and caste-linked labour stratification. Weak legal enforcement, absence of contracts, and limited social security contribute to structural informality and legal exclusion. By bridging legal frameworks and lived experiences, the study contributes to socio-legal scholarship and labour process theory by demonstrating how task-level degradation intersects with employment insecurity to shape labour dignity and vulnerability within informal domestic work. The findings have implications for labour regulation, social protection, and the formal recognition of domestic work in India.

Factors Governing and Affecting FDI in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe

Helen Chytopoulou — 2026-05-21

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a crucial part of the global economy, shaping economic relations between countries and influencing growth and competitiveness. After 1990, the opening of markets resulted in increased foreign investment flows, and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC) witnessed significant inflows of FDI. During the pre-2008 Global Financial Crisis era, CEEC attracted large inflows of FDI, primarily motivated by privatization initiatives and the likelihood of accession of some of them to the European Union. The period between the post-Global Financial Crisis and the pre-COVID-19 period is characterized by upward and downward swings in FDI inflows in the majority of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It is worth mentioning that, after 2016, not only is there a downward global trend in FDI, but also the dynamics are changing in relation to other macroeconomic variables such as GDP and Trade. In this context, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe rebounded more strongly, while the recovery of the EU economy was modest and fragile. In the post-COVID-19 period, a series of factors, such as the two ongoing wars around Europe and the new terms imposed on the geopolitical game, have influenced and redirected FDI in critical sectors. Notwithstanding long-term challenges, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe will likely continue to attract interest for FDI, since they have significant technological and scientific potential, natural resources, and lower labor costs.

Exploring Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of Using ChatGPT to Enhance English Paragraph Writing at a Foreign Language Center in Ho Chi Minh City

Uy Nhu Lieu — 2026-05-21

This study explores teachers’ and students’ perceptions of using ChatGPT to enhance English paragraph writing at a foreign language center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Using a quantitative research design, survey questionnaires were administered to 73 students and 27 English teachers to examine their perceptions regarding the usefulness, instructional support, benefits, and challenges of ChatGPT in writing instruction. The findings indicate that both teachers and students generally hold positive attitudes toward the use of ChatGPT in English paragraph writing. Participants highly valued its ability to support idea generation, improve vocabulary and grammar, and provide immediate feedback. However, concerns related to content accuracy, over-reliance on AI, plagiarism, and academic integrity were also identified, particularly among teachers. In addition, teachers demonstrated a more comprehensive understanding of both the advantages and potential risks of ChatGPT compared to students. The study contributes to the growing body of research on AI-assisted language learning and suggests that ChatGPT should be integrated into writing instruction in a critical, ethical, and pedagogically guided manner.

Why The Punishment’s Retributive Component is Absurd: Jurists Facing Neuroscience

Edoardo Casiglia — 2026-05-18

The present paper argues that the Ego and the Unconscious are metaphors engaged in a continuous interaction: the Ego is not stable but constantly reshaped by unconscious contents emerging into consciousness, while the Unconscious absorbs what falls out of consciousness. Personal identity is therefore a dynamic and illusory construction. The author criticises the juristic concept of the person developed between the 17^th and 18^thcenturies by thinkers such as Descartes and Locke, claiming it rests on naïf psychology. The apparent continuity of the Ego derives from autobiographical memory, which is fragmentary and artificially reconstructed. The Ego is thus likened to a thread linking isolated pearls of memory. This perspective has major implications for law. Legal systems assume a stable, responsible subject endowed with consciousness and free will, yet neuroscience suggests that decisions arise unconsciously before they are experienced as voluntary. Conscious will is therefore an illusion created through backdating, while the Unconscious determines action. As a result, key juridical notions such as criminal responsibility, capacity to understand and to will, and personal accountability appear scientifically weak. Even judicial decision-making is not truly free but shaped by unconscious processes. In conclusion, the retributive aspect of punishment lacks rational foundation: it is illogical to punish the Ego if actions originate in the Unconscious. According to this paradigm, law focuses on prevention and education only, and jurists should be trained with knowledge of neuroscience in order to bridge the gap between legal practice and scientific understanding.Inizio modulo

Reframing Digital Public Service Transformation: A Perspective of Community Empowerment in Smart City Practices in the Global South

Hj. Aulia Burhan — 2026-05-09

The transformation of digital public services has been more widely understood as an effort to improve the efficiency and quality of services. This approach tends to place technology as an administrative instrument, without considering its impact on community capabilities. This study aims to analyze how digital public service transformation contributes to community empowerment through three main dimensions, namely service accessibility, digital literacy, and community participation. This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study design in the city of Banjarmasin. Data were obtained through the analysis of policy documents, observations of digital service platforms, and the review of academic literature. The analysis was carried out through thematic coding. The results of the study show that digital transformation increases the accessibility of services, encourages the development of digital literacy, and opens up opportunities for community participation. However, the impact is not even due to the gap in access and user capacity. This research shows that digital public services not only function as an instrument of efficiency, but also as a mechanism that shapes community capabilities in the governance process.

The Institution of Hospital Libraries in the United States and Europe: Similarities, Differences, and Comparative Advantages

Eleni Semertzidou — 2026-05-06

Hospital libraries constitute a critical component of modern healthcare systems, supporting clinical decision‑making, medical education, and evidence‑based practice. This article examines the historical evolution of hospital libraries in the United States and Europe, compares their organizational structures and functions, and analyzes their contemporary roles in the digital era. Drawing on primary literature, historical sources, and statistical data from medical library associations, the paper highlights convergences and divergences across regions and evaluates comparative advantages that shape their future trajectories. The study reveals a strong shared mission of promoting clinical excellence, yet the U.S. model tends to emphasize accreditation-driven standards, while the European landscape reflects greater structural diversity shaped by national health policies. The paper concludes by underscoring the strategic importance of hospital libraries in improving patient care quality and supporting lifelong medical learning.

Work, Life, and Experience in Indian Aviation: A Cabin Crew Study

LRK Krishnan — 2026-05-06

This study examines how Quality of Work Life (QWL) shapes service outcomes by influencing Quality of Life (QOL) among cabin crew in the Indian aviation industry. Drawing on an interpretivist approach, the study employs reflexive thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with cabin crew across domestic and international airlines. The findings reveal a structured experiential chain in which demanding work conditions—characterized by temporal compression, emotional labour, and limited organizational support—erode employee well-being, which in turn influences the Quality of Experience (QOE) delivered to passengers. The analysis identifies QOL as a critical mediating mechanism linking work conditions to service outcomes. By integrating the Job Demands–Resources model with the Service-Profit Chain, the study develops a QWL–QOL–QOE framework that extends existing theory into a service-mediated experiential context. The findings contribute to aviation and HR literature by demonstrating how employee well-being functions as a dynamic process shaping customer experience, with implications for workforce design, fatigue management, and service strategy in high-intensity service environments.