Advances in Social Sciences and Management

We Desire to Mine Legally but the License Procedure Put Us Off: Perspectives from Illegal Miners in Fanteakwa South and Atiwa East Districts of the Eastern Region of Ghana

Selase Kofi Adanu, Maxwell Kwame Boakye, Shine Francis Gbedemah, Asirifi Arago — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose: Ghana is touted to be among the first African countries to acknowledge the need to regularize and formalize small-scale mining operations as a means to ensure sustainability of the mining sector. Despite Ghana’s efforts, evidence and experiences show that illegal mining still persist. This study is among a few on knowledge and perception of ‘illegal miners’ on the processes of acquiring small-scale mining licenses from regulatory institutions. It also discusses how ‘illegal mining’ activities can be linked to procedures involved in acquiring small-scale mining permits. Design/Methodology: Methods used were administering of questionnaires to 200 people involved in small-scale mining and interview of 8 government officials in charge of issuing mining licenses and permits. Findings: Findings on knowledge of miners and their understanding of procedures for acquiring mining licenses show that the majority of them have limited knowledge on mining license procedures and regulations. Furthermore, the study revealed that high cost of obtaining license coupled with bureaucratic delays deter miners from obtaining license for their operations. The study concludes that lack of sound knowledge on procedures to acquire mining permits has contributed to poor regularization of illegal mining operations that destroy the environment.

Reimagining the Role of Institute Aminuddin Baki, E-Learning Ecosystem in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Qualitative Inquiry into Stakeholder Perceptions and Institutional Transformation

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping global education and redefining how leadership development is delivered. As Malaysia accelerates digital transformation through MyDIGITAL, the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013–2025, and the Digital Education Policy, Institut Aminuddin Baki (IAB) has upgraded its e-learning department to the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation. This study explores how school leaders, trainers, and instructional designers perceive the shift from traditional e-learning models to AI-driven digital innovation within IAB. Using a qualitative interpretivist approach, the research employs semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis to capture stakeholder experiences, expectations, fears, and readiness. Thematic analysis will uncover emerging patterns related to competencies, culture, pedagogical transformation, and organizational readiness. Findings will support IAB’s strategic aspiration to design humanised, adaptive, and AI-enabled leadership development ecosystems that respond to national education priorities. This research will contribute to the development of a transformation roadmap and inform digital innovation strategies for leadership training institutions in Malaysia and beyond.

The Influence of Artificial Intelligence on Business Functions: An Exploratory Study

Kalpana Solanki — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This research aims to explore the effects of the AI in business. It uses the quantative and qualitative tools to identify the effects of AI on business functions like Better recruitment efficiency, Reduced workload, Improved decision-making, Enhanced employee experience and on the other hand the research also explores the effect of Artificial Intelligence on Job displacement, bias in algorithms, privacy concerns, increased dependency on technology. The first hand data was collected using a survey which was sent to 140 employees out of which 118 employees who are working in different organizations in the HR and administrative departments responded back. The researcher has used quantative tools such as ANOVA, regression analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, regression coefficient Tables for the data analysis.

Changing Social Fabric of Maharashtra and Maratha Kranti Morcha: Insights on History, Democracy and Tolerance

Jayashri Balasaheb Aher — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

‘Maratha’, demographically a large community from Maharashtra underwent a huge agitation for its diverse demands from August 7, 2016 to 29^th October, 2017. An extempore reason for the agitation had been ‘A Kopardi Rape Case’, where a school going girl from Maratha community was brutally raped and killed by a group of boys in the village Kopardi from Ahmednagar district of the State of Maharashtra. Both the print and electronic media and then the Government of Maharashtra did not take any cognizance of this case until a group of vigilant whistleblowers from the community brought it to the forefront. The neglect of media and the government were alleged to be perpetual and aroused scourge. The agitation which began with this immediate reason further incorporated several other pendent demands of the community on its agenda and the outburst came in form of district wise huge demonstrations involving of men, women, girls, boys, students, workers, farmers, office goers, business persons and people from every occupation and class. The agitation did not let any political leader to lead these rallies hence it could invite huge response across the political parties. The demonstrations proved phenomenal illustrating their massive size, silence (no oral slogans), self-discipline, maintenance of law and order, self-help, cleanliness etc. The rallies broke several records and set an example of the peaceful agitation. But looking towards the outcome of these agitations, the government which had a clear rightist orientation, as well as many smaller groups with leftist orientation seem to have treated these agitations clearly as non-issue with equal bigotry attitudes, despite the socio-economic–cultural issues of the agitation being fairly vital. After almost ten years since these huge agitations have taken place, there is no action on any of the principle demands of the Maratha community in Maharashtra. The article is an attempt to theorize the nature and scope of “Maratha Kranti Morcha”, to discuss the socio-political, cultural, economic reasons of this agitation and to find out reasons for its cold-reception from the leftist and rightist wings in the historical position of the community and a need of positive response to the issue/s in the framework of democratic values, tolerance and social harmony.

Balancing Objectivity and Compassion in Family Law: The Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights

Sara Ahlin Doljak — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Legal decision-making has traditionally emphasized objectivity to ensure consistency and uphold the rule of law. However, recent debates have highlighted the growing importance of compassion, empathy, and human-centric approaches, especially in areas like family law, where decisions directly impact people’s lives. This paper explores the tension between objectivity and compassion in legal contexts, with a focus on family law practices as exemplified by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Drawing on landmark cases, the analysis reveals how the ECtHR balances the rule of law with considerations of empathy, human dignity, and the best interests of children. This balance helps ensure that legal decisions are not only just and fair but also grounded in compassion, addressing the needs of the vulnerable while promoting equity and autonomy.

Reading Precariousness of the Body and Spectrality in Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Works

Daniel Tia — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This exegesis is rooted in a semiotics of traumatic consciousness; it proposes to decipher the haunting not only as a psychic affliction, but also as the epistemic paradigm of contemporary social anxiety. Focusing on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s creative art, the study posits that Blacks’ body is not only the site of subjectivity, but the very signified of a spectral system. Whereas classical existentialism universalized anxiety as a metaphysical confrontation with nothingness, Coates historicizes and politicizes it by manifesting it as an index of structural violence, echoing both Fanon’s phenomenological and Derrida’s deconstructive theories. This arouses the ensuing question: How does the spectrality of history and the body function as a critical paradigm of oppressive structures in Coates’s works, and to what extent is this social anxiety a force of awakening rather than paralysis? The main objective of this reflection is to demonstrate that anxiety is not an individual fate, but a necessary knowledge that constitutes a radical political consciousness. For that purpose, the use of a critical hermeneutic method will be helpful ; this will contribute to decoding textual signs as symptoms of a structural evil rather than as individual expressions, asserting that the spectrum functions as an operator for the deconstruction of American myths of innocence. In terms of articulation, three axes will be considered: Phenomenology of the haunting, Paradigm of social anxiety, and Haunting: A critical and emancipatory mechanism.

The Welfare Economy

Giovanni Antonio Cossiga — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The article introduces the concept of "economy of well-being" (widespread) as a set of economic factors that should allow all the territories of the planet to offer their inhabitants agricultural and artisanal goods essential for survival, overcoming the profound disparities in wealth that characterize both rich and poor countries. Despite advances in civilization and science, a sizable portion of the world's population still lives in poverty, even in seemingly affluent societies such as America and Europe. Welfare economics does not aim to revolutionize the existing social order or to combat wealth or the middle class but focuses on supporting the poorest and most marginalized sections of society. The goal is to guarantee these people access essential goods without exchanging money, through the creation of a "second market" parallel to the traditional one. This second market would be fed by dedicated agricultural production (excluding meat and fish) and managed by public or private bodies that would guarantee its operation and sustainability. The active participation of beneficiaries is seen as a key element to reducing management costs and promoting social inclusion. The structure of the second market could absorb some of the unemployment and poverty generated by the traditional economic system, without interfering with the functioning of the ordinary market. The article also delves into the definition of poverty, pointing out that it is not just about income, but also about insecurity, powerlessness, social exclusion, and lack of access to essential services such as clean water, education, and health. Despite progress in recent decades (such as the drastic reduction of extreme poverty in China and India), poverty remains a global challenge, exacerbated by recent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, the author argues that the Earth has the capacity to produce enough food for all its inhabitants and that the solution lies in better distribution of resources and the creation of a second market without money, dedicated to the poorest. This model, although difficult to start, could represent an opportunity to reduce poverty, create employment, and also contribute to environmental sustainability, thanks to a more widespread agricultural production oriented towards collective well-being.

Symbolic Participation in Regional Development Planning: An Evaluation of Musrenbang Implementation in Hulu Sungai Utara Regency, Indonesia

Jumadi, Laila Refiana Said — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Public participation is a core principle of democratic and sustainable regional development planning. In Indonesia, the Development Planning Deliberation Forum or Musyawarah Perencanaan Pembangunan (Musrenbang) is mandated by law to ensure citizen involvement in defining development priorities. Nevertheless, a growing body of research indicates that Musrenbang practices at the local level often remain confined to symbolic participation, whereby citizens' attendance is not accompanied by substantive influence over decision-making. This article critically evaluates the implementation of Musrenbang in Hulu Sungai Utara Regency, with particular attention to the quality of public participation and its implications for regional development planning. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining secondary quantitative data from credible official sources with qualitative evidence derived from systematic observation of Musrenbang processes. Quantitative data are used to identify trends and patterns in regional development planning, while qualitative observations examine forum dynamics, power relations, and participatory practices. The findings demonstrate that Musrenbang in Hulu Sungai Utara Regency is largely characterized by procedural and symbolic participation, limited deliberative space, and insufficient integration of development data into planning decisions. These conditions contribute to a persistent misalignment between community needs and officially established development priorities. This article argues that meaningful reform of Musrenbang is required to transform it into a deliberative, inclusive, and data-driven planning mechanism capable of supporting responsive and sustainable regional development.

Walking the Squares: cCC* Guardrails and AEIOUF Perspectives as a NEWCON for CONSCIOUSING

Colin G Benjamin, G. Bound, Paul Bitetto — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We introduce Walking the Squares as a NEWCON: a repeatable practice for CONSCIOUSING that rotates through AEIOUF perspectives under cCC* guardrails—chances (c), choices (C), and changes for continuity (C*). The method is designed to remain workable under three constraints: Arrow (aggregation limits), Heisenberg (observer participation and trade-offs), and Wittgenstein (meaning-in-use). At its centre, AAI is ordered as Autonomy–Agency–Identity (1–2–3), generating COULDness as possibility opened, met in encounter, and carried forward. AEIOUF instrumentation is planned for release in 2026. A quitting case substantiates the claim as c → C → C* held over time.