Aid and rising social tensions among Lebanon’s most vulnerable

BACKGROUND: The elemental status of a population in a specific geographic area is shaped by the concentration of various macro- and microelements in soil, air, water, and food. Existing Russian and international studies suggest that biologically significant elements in the environment may influence psycho-emotional states and contribute to the risk of deviant behavior. However, there is no available information on the systemic relationships between the elemental status of regional populations and the severity of social and criminal tension indicators in society. AIM: This exploratory study investigates the role of biologically significant macro- and microelements in shaping social and criminal tension among the populations of specific regions in the Russian Federation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Theoretical research was based on the analysis of data from the Federal State Statistics Service and cartographic materials from the National Atlas of Russia. The field stage of the study was conducted in 14 model regions and involved 700 representatives of the local population of the studied territories. Elemental status was assessed through hair sample analysis for biologically significant elements (Al, As, B, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Se, Si, Sn, V, Zn). At the third (analytical) stage of the study, statistical analysis was conducted to assess the relationships between social and criminal tension indicators and the elemental status of residents in the model regions. Additionally, a comparative analysis was performed to evaluate the concentrations of biologically significant chemical elements in individuals from regions characterized by the lowest and highest levels of deviant behavior. The obtained results were processed using statistical methods, including Spearman’s correlation coefficient, the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test, and the calculation of the median (Me) and quartiles (Q1; Q3). RESULTS: A range of deviant social behaviors was systematically observed in the model regions, including homicide, suicide, alcohol abuse, smoking, and induced abortion. Statistically significant associations were found between these deviant behaviors and the concentrations of specific biologically significant elements in the human body. A comparative analysis of elemental status was conducted for local population of regions with the highest and lowest levels of deviant behavior. Refined critical thresholds of chemical element concentrations were identified for local populations in various regions of the Russian Federation, corresponding to different levels of social and criminal tension. CONCLUSION: The findings specify the potentially significant biogeochemical factors influencing the risks of forming key vectors of social and criminal tension in population groups unified by their geographic location within the Russian Federation.

The replacement of one form of property by another is a very painful socioeconomic process, associated with radical disruption of the social system, conflictual tension, and great human costs. State totalitarianism as a form of functioning and developing social property relations weakened and undermined the Soviet economy to such an extent that the transition to private property relations was relatively peaceful and without conflict, since most social groups had lost any vested interest in the socialist mode of running the economy. Principled adherents of the previous forms of economic activity were in a minority (today they account for only about 7 percent of skilled workers in Ukraine), and hence there was no decisive opposition to privatization. However, the transformation of forms of property proceeded relatively painlessly as long as it involved only the social elite and concentrated on the establishment and spread of the ideology of perestroika, on political and legal procedures, on organization, and on negotiations among the parties involved. The phase of real privatization, which revealed the criminal underpinnings of the economy, began to generate contradictions that led to conflicts and social tension without precedent in the most recent history of Ukrainian society.

Problem. Social tension is the subject of numerous contemporary sociological studies due to its significant impact on the effectiveness of decision-making both at the governmental level and in business contexts. Social tension can be assessed by analyzing public reactions to news events in social networks. However, obtaining generalized estimates of the impact of news events on increasing levels of social tension is complicated by the fact that audiences of different information channels may hold significantly different opinions about the same event. The applicability of methods for assessing the consistency of expert estimates to problems that do not involve traditional expert input remains insufficiently studied. Objective. To develop and test a method for adjusting the social tension index using methods for assessing the consistency of expert estimates. Methodology of implementation. The implementation of the method for adjusting the social tension index involves the interaction between the knowledge base of a decision support system and a method for assessing the consistency of expert estimates, based on minimizing the total distance between all pairwise estimates. Results. A method for adjusting the social tension index based on methods for assessing the consistency of expert estimates is proposed. A procedure for determining a threshold consistency level for evaluating the impact of news events on social tension is introduced. Applying the proposed method for adjusting the social tension index makes it possible to improve the validity of social tension assessments. Conclusions. The application of the proposed method for adjusting the social tension index based on methods for assessing the consistency of expert estimates enhances the validity of social tension assessments in cases where the consistency index among estimates of news event impacts falls below the defined threshold.

There was a drastic shift in the United States economic policy that began in the 1970s and 1980s. These policies can be ideologically categorized as neoliberal policies.1 The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between neoliberal policies and social tension through a mediating variable of economic inequality. The goal is to explore a potential connection between neoliberal policies and social tension from the 1970s and 1980s to the present. This study used a methodology that entailed creating a timeline of neoliberal policy implementation, then comparing it to historical data on inequality. Inequality data was collected from the Gini coefficient and index which are a statistical measurement of income and wealth inequality. Gini coefficient and index data was then compared to violent crime rates and racial hate crime rates in a correlational analysis. Violent crime rates and racial hate crime rates were used as an indicator for the variable of social tension. Data availability on racial violence was a major limiting factor to the original goal of the study. The analysis indicated that there is a temporal correlation between neoliberal policy implementation and growth in inequality, but a more complex relationship between inequality and social tension exists than originally hypothesized. There are additional extraneous variables influencing social tension that were not present in this analysis. Further examination of influential factors that contribute to - or reduce - social tension should be explored.

IntroductionThe processes observed today in the Russian society, form an objective need to put the conflicts of social relations in a certain framework. To this end it is necessary to develop an effective methodology and tools of conflict diagnosis, contributing to the prevention of conflicts. The urgent need for conflict diagnosis is determined by the dynamism, transience and interdependence of social, economic and political processes in the modern world and in the Russian society.In this study to measure conflict potential of the modern Russian society, we turned to the concept of social tension. The novelty of the research project is to develop tools to identify key indicators of social tension in the urban community. This was the main purpose of the study. Thus, the research work focused on the social tension. As the objectives of the study were the following:* to identify the basic characteristics of the concept of social tension;* to identify the basic indicators of social tensions;* to measure the values of the main indicators of social tension in different strata of the urban population.Social tension is quite often seen in connection with conflicts. Meanwhile, it precedes conflicts, but not always turns into a conflict. The social tension is a phenomenon which in one form or another always presents in the society. The certain elements of the concept of social tension are considered in the works of a number of authors (Parsons, 1972; Orru, 1983; Smelser, 1994; Galtung, 1998; Stepanov, 1999; Kukonkov, 2004; Merton, 2006; Nagaytsev, Pustovalova, 2010; Baranov et al., 2011).In the literature dedicated to the study of conflicts and social tension (Gurr, 1970; Kotkin, 2014; Chakravarty, 2015) a special attention is paid to the concept of relative deprivation. The authors of this approach believe that a social order is stable when different layers of the society maintained a balance between the desired goals and means of its achieving. Gurr considers relative deprivation as a discrepancy between value expectations (goods and conditions of life which, in the opinion of the people, they can rightfully claim for) and value capabilities (goods and conditions that they, in their opinion, can obtain or retain). The deprivation results in: a decrease in capacities with the growth of expectations, a decrease in capacities while maintaining expectations at the same level and the preservation of capacities with the growth of expectations level. The accumulated social tension reveals itself in protest actions (Gurr, 1970).1. Conceptualization of the problem of social tension1.1.Some characteristics of the crisis situation in RussiaThe current situation in Russia has posed the scientific community the task of studying its conflict potential. It is known that the risk of conflict is that they can lead not only to positive but also to negative consequences, concerning both separate individuals and society as a whole. However, a mandatory escalation in the case of a conflict situation is not the only possible scenario. Conflicts should be prevented, i.e. to forestall it at the generation stage, which will allow avoiding of negative consequences and will reduce the cost of its management. Control over the conflict involves deliberate steps in this regard and includes a number of actions: prevention, or averting, forecasting, settlement, resolution. One of the key concepts used in the study of conflict is the social tension. Below we will return to a more detailed analysis of this concept.A relevance of attention to the conflict potential of the Russian situation is determined by a structurally new crisis in the Russian history (see Figure 1).Consider the basic characteristics, which allow defining the current situation as a crisis. This crisis, unlike previous ones, was developed by peculiarities of the institutional design of modern Russia, its political climate. …

This article concerns the manifestations of the social tension phenomenon at the regional level in the context of the global pandemic. The main purpose of the article was to study the social tension phenomenon in Russian society and determine the current directions for its reduction. The main theoretical and methodological approaches to studying social tension are presented herein. It was determined that social tension is a state of society formed under the influence of subjective and objective internal confrontations that are in an acute phase of their development. Sociological research made it possible to identify the assessments of various spheres of public life (social, economic, political and spiritual) experienced by the population. Assessments by population and sphere of public life at the regional and federal levels were compared. It was revealed that the population of the Orel region assessed all the factors of social tension in the region as significantly worse than in the country as a whole. In our opinion, this indicated that the population is inclined to perceive the situation in the region more negatively, due to a greater proximity to the real social, political and economic problems of the region. One of the possible ways to reduce social tension is by applying the social contract concept. Keywords: social tension, social contract, threats

The article presents the results of the regional sociological study of the parameters of the social-economic well-being in the Volga Region. The well-being category consists of social satisfaction, trust, tension and security. Social well-being reflects the efficiency of the social system, its quality, the authorities’ competence in the development of social-economic processes and of a socially sensitive (accessible, comfortable) social environment. The study identified connections between social-economic well-being and employment, financial situation and the dynamics of migration; and empirically proved the low likelihood of ethnic or religious conflicts in the region, the high level of social well-being as mentioned by the younger generations and the average one among other age groups. The level of ethnic and confessional tension is influenced by the age of the respondents: a third of the younger generations and of the working age are more concerned with the criminal situation and with conflicts on national and religious grounds than pensioners. The able-bodied population of the Volga Region is concerned about their professional well-being due to perceiving migrants as competitors: in some cases, an increase in the share of migrants contributes to conflicts in the interethnic interaction. With an increase in the educational level the degree of social trust increases, which is a positive factor for the tolerant attitude towards others. In general, there are no reasons for concerns about ethnic conflicts in the region. The multi-ethnicity of the Russian society explains the relatively high tolerance to migrants despite many risk factors.

The communication of social and cultural tensions embodied in the symbol Madonna explain the unparalleled public and scientific fascination for this cultural phenomenon. These tensions can be seen as communications of reflexive modernisation, in which modernisation has produced its own counterforce. We propose to understand ‘celebrity’ as a position from which a symbol can communicate such social tensions. That is to say that celebrity is a space in which the production of certain frames takes place. Through this process, celebrity becomes a mechanism of new modes of social control. Madonna, as a quintessential celebrity, is a perfect case to illustrate this theoretical standpoint. In this article, we elaborate on three specific tensions of reflexive modernisation communicated through Madonna: those between patriarchy and feminism, heterosexuality and queer lifestyles, and religiosity and secularism.

Purpose Taking China as a research context, the purpose of this paper is to delineate how social and business tensions manifest in Chinese nascent social enterprises and to disentangle the strategies that they adopt to manage the business-social dual goals to achieve organizational viability. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative multiple-case study is used to collect and analyze data. Empirical data are drawn from in-depth semi-structured interviews with Chinese social entrepreneurs, ethnographic observation of social enterprises as well as secondary sources. Findings Depending on personal motivations and resource availability, social entrepreneurs’ perceptions toward pursuit of dual goals range from integration to differentiation in the short term, despite consensus on the concurrent development in the long term. The leverage of resources, image management, continuous innovation and need-based services are viable approaches that Chinese social enterprises adopt to manage the dual goals in order to create both social and economic value. Research limitations/implications This paper reveals understanding of the concrete tensions experienced among Chinese nascent social enterprises in pursuing business and social goals and how they manage to integrate the synergistic aspects of social and business goals to achieve survival and growth. Based primarily on qualitative case study method, the research findings are context specific and may not be ideal for generalization. Practical implications The authors reveal strategies by which synergistic benefits between dual goals may be achieved. Innovation (e.g. in resource utilization, in service format and content) and differentiation (e.g. in organization positioning) would be beneficial in enhancing the competitiveness of social enterprises. To enhance organizations’ credibility, quality of products and service should be monitored and organizational transparency needs to be enhanced. Social implications It is suggested that the government specifies legal forms and legitimates interests of social enterprises, formulates preferential policies to stimulate the development of social enterprises, and develops a set of qualification authentication system to regulate this emerging sector. Originality/value The study examines the manifestation of business and social tensions and presents dual-goal management strategies from a non-western perspective. As an original contribution to the field of social entrepreneurship, the study responds to calls for in-depth analysis of conflicting objectives and tension management in social enterprises.

The article examines the problem of establishing uniform approaches to assessing social tension as a relatively negative for the Russian criminologically significant phenomenon. It is proposed to introduce the notion of a social group of 'citizens dissatisfied with the authorities' into a scientific and practical turn in the sphere of crime prevention. The expediency of referring to this category is not only traditionally understood under this the unemployed and persons living below the poverty line, but also representatives of financially secured layers of society, dissatisfied with the tax, law enforcement and other activities of the authorities. The connection between social tension and crimes committed under its influence, including mass riots and 'color revolutions' is considered. It is proposed to introduce appropriate additions and amendments into certain normative acts and the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in the aspect of criminalization of acts leading to a significant increase in social tension. The author gives his own definition of 'social tension' for the discussion, as well as a list of priority steps for the tension to be reduced through the general social and special criminological measures.

The pattern of ethnic relations and religion among university students is always the focus of understanding Malaysian unity and ethnic relation. This study explores the study of unity by recalling the concept of solidarity put forward by Durkheim. Unity as the main concept needs to be reinterpreted by studying the social realities and social history in Malaysia. Unity happens in the long life of harmony since the 1969 ethnic riots until now, but Malaysia still faces social tensions and fights between ethnic and religious in society. Unity is still considered fragile and just a dream. The concept of social cohesion is expressed as a social phenomenon that needs to be studied as the atmosphere is harmonious but colored with social tension. The multi-culture of Malaysian come from its relationship with east civilization before pre-colonial and the British colonization. The differences between ethnicity and religion in social order cause tension and conflict among the groups. Yet development in the last four decades has changed the social landscape where multi-ethnic societies have turned into a socially diverse society. University students are targeted as respondents in understanding the concepts and patterns of social cohesion among them. Studies show that social cohesion among students is developed. The dimension and item analysis show that there are ethnic and religious differences, but the differences are relatively small. It is suggested that follow-up studies in identifying the form and understanding of the relationship of social cohesion on campus should be conducted through qualitative and ethnographic research design in obtaining data to strengthen ethnic relations in the university. Input from this follow-up study finding will strengthen social cohesion among students that can help governance and university development is well managed by identifying the social gap.

This paper discusses what museums can do to address the issues brought about by global change and ensuing social, economic and cultural tensions. Just as globalisation can encourage international and intercultural relationships, enrichment and creativity, so too can it foster intolerance and the destruction of cultural heritage and diversity—dual scenarios that are currently playing out in several parts of the world. Traditional policies seem, moreover, unable to successfully confront nationalism, xenophobia, interreligious conflicts, social tensions, and extremism. New approaches to global change are needed. How can museums contribute to social cohesion and intercultural exchange in the current context of changing demographics? What approaches can they take to enhance cultural diversity and inclusion, promote cultural exchange, and foster the new identities of 21st century communities? In the present article, I explore Italy's longstanding history as a cultural meeting ground and examine five recent projects undertaken by museums in different Italian communities in response to globalisation and the cultural diversification of Italian society.

One of the major challenges confronting democracies in Africa is political control of the military especially in the face of palpable socio-economic and political tensions which have the capacity to ignite military intervention. Internal military variables on the one hand and political decay in the form of social violence and corruption, on the other, occupy the literature as causal factors for military incursion in the politics of most African states. What then should be done by Nigerian political leaders to avert these push factors that cause military intervention so democracy would thrive seamlessly in our polity. By adopting the qualitative research design, this study utilized secondary sources as data gathering instrument to investigate the factor of military intervention in politics and the steps taken by successive political leaders in Nigeria (1999-2024), to keep the soldiers away from politics. The study found that some of the issues that trigger military interest in politics namely social tension, political violence and corruption, were still plaguing the nation even as the various democratic regimes were doing their best to placate the military hierarchy with mouth watering welfare packages, professional training programmes and hardware infrastructure. It is therefore recommended that the political class in Nigeria should take urgent steps to stem the persistent recurrence of social pressures, political tensions and corruption so as to strike a balance between government’s concern for military welfare and the delivery of democratic dividends to the electorate. This, no doubt would guarantee permanent and fool proof political control of the military for all time stability of the nation’s democracy.

The documents in this section deal with social groups and social tensions in Italy: popolo against magnates, noble clans against each another, men against women, young men against city elders, Christians against Jews, freemen against slaves, food riots and tax revolts, acts of resistance and indecency . The chapter focuses on knighthood, towers and vendetta. Although worker unrest is evident in Italian towns from the late thirteenth century, the second half of the fourteenth century saw a rash of working-class revolts, the most famous being that of the Ciompi in Florence has become the 'archetype' of worker insurrections.

The article discusses the role of rescue services on reducing the level of negative social tension associated with economic, political, medical and biological crisis situations. An analysis of the phenomenon and the concept of "social tension" has been carried out, and forms of the reaction of the population to various kinds of crises revealed. Prolonged social tension is considered to provoke the onset of socially dangerous phenomena that can destabilize social development and cause entropic processes. Modern methods of diagnosing public dissatisfaction with various processes in the economy, politics, social sphere have been briefly described, which can enable the competent authorities to properly respond to emerging crisis phenomena, or level their consequences. Rescue services are considered to be competent bodies in the structure of the state; their activities are aimed directly at the prevention and elimination of the consequences of emergency situations. The research method is a theoretical analysis of the problem based on theoretical and empirical data from previous sociological, psychological and pedagogical studies. The main conclusions are that rescue services are an important factor in maintaining an optimal level of social tension, an effective means of reducing the possibility of the onset of socially dangerous phenomena, the main tool for eliminating the consequences of catastrophes, a guarantee of people's confidence that they will be provided with assistance in emergency situations, which significantly reduces the level of their anxiety, anomic, propensity to unmotivated actions of a destructive plan