We live in an age where education is considered as a universally recognised fundamental right and an important objective of the development of the world and yet millions of children living in certain conflict-driven countries are stuck in an educational distress that alarms to put them in an infinite loop of conflict, instability and poverty. This paper targets the examination of the issues which has led to the disconnection between multiple international educational commitments like Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals from the brutal realities of different countries in the South Asian region like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. These nations have been not only been experiencing their own unique issues of political instability and corruption but also economic disasters, natural calamities, institutional failure and many more, which ultimately explains how this fragility has demolished the educational infrastructure, leading to total collapse of hopes for the future generations to enjoy their fundamental right to learn and grow. This paper seeks to demonstrate by the analysis of these three states that although the international community has produced thorough and detailed frameworks for addressing educational difficulties by these governments, there is still a significant implementation gap. The paper finally calls for a fundamental reconstruction of how education is protected and provided in contexts of complete failure and fragility, arguing that current approaches, despite the evolution from MDGs to SDGs, fail to adequately address the complex interrelation between political instability, security threats, economic collapse and educational access.

Amid Asia’s rapid urbanization, integration of large-scale rural and urban migrant has become a core governance challenge. China has applied a protracted process aimed at citizenizing hundreds of millions of migrants; nevertheless, widespread “semi-urbanization” indicates a persistent gap exists between formal hukou conversion and real social inclusion. Using a social policy lens, we examine China as a critical case and the roles assigned to—and the institutional failures of—social policy in citizenization and propose a three-dimensional “demand–resource–institution” framework to pinpoint the main barriers to citizenship: structural ruptures in demand identification, resource allocation, and institutional design. Escaping “semi-urbanization” requires shifting from fragmented welfare provision to an integrated social-policy regime built on equal rights and inclusion. This analysis of China yields theoretical insights into state-led citizenization and a comparative policy reference for other developing Asian countries facing large-scale internal migration, rural–urban imbalance, and integration dilemmas.

ABSTRACT This article aims to delineate the underlying causality of gender violence, specifically the perseverance of rape as an institutional failure, in the particular spatio-temporality of France. The nonexistent levels of convictions for rape (0.6%), compared with the increase in reported rapes (a rape every 2.3 min, 1/2 women are survivors, 1/6 women entered sexuality through rape), forge a certain continuity with previous contexts in which rape was a crime against the honour of the family, rather than against the integrity of the victim. Rape is actively shaped by intersecting forms of violence. It is institutionalised because the authorities’ response is first to induce such a failure of justice. The ‘morphogenetic régulation’ approach endows my reflection with meta-theoretical depth to observe how one can explain such systemic persistence. The findings call for urgent academic and policy attention in re-examining the entire training procedures for judicial officers.

This research is motivated by the increasingly competitive banking world, where the success or failure of a financial institution is inseparable from the policies and service treatment of its employees towards its customers. Therefore, banks are required to monitor customer satisfaction to establish good relationships with customers and potential customers. The role of marketing funding is not only to act as a seller of products with a high economic orientation but must also have a strategy that is able to improve, maintain, and promote the bank's products or services. With the support of loyal customers, PT. BPR Jatim Gresik Branch is expected to improve performance better according to the set targets. Criticism and suggestions from customers must be continuously considered and become a separate focus for marketing funding so as not to affect the level of satisfaction and loyalty of urban and suburban customers. The type of research used is qualitative research. This concept uses the theories of Jill Griffin and Kotler and Keller. Griffin's theory in Customer Loyalty states that customer loyalty is a random purchase that arises based on trust factors (trust) and self-awareness without any coercion over a long period of time. Kotler and Keller in Marketing Management theory state that service quality influences and customer satisfaction will shape the intention to buy or reuse a product, which means that the better the form of service provided and supported by a high level of satisfaction, of course, will form consumer or customer loyalty. The final results of this study can be classified into two conceptual categories: urban customer loyalty and suburban customer loyalty. Urban customer loyalty, in understanding the role of marketing funding, tends to be more critical in terms of service, convenience, trust, and the level of social relationships that impact the level of targets given to the banking company. Outlying customer loyalty, in understanding the role of marketing funding, tends to be more compliant in terms of service, convenience, trust, and prioritizes family relationships or high social levels. As a result, operational standards are not in line with the field and are more concerned with maintaining socio-cultural values.

Public investment is generally theorized to decrease inequality, yet its real-world influences hinge on governance. This study analyzes how Brazil’s public budget allocation shapes socioeconomic vulnerability. The main finding reveals a paradox: while investments significantly reduce vulnerability in low-income areas, institutional failures undermine their potential, including misallocation and elite capture. Using subnational data on completed projects, we show that agricultural, urban, and social spending in disadvantaged regions achieves measurable welfare gains. However, these are systematically diluted by politicized resource distribution and weak oversight. Our findings highlight how political economy constraints transform public investment from a redistribution tool into a mechanism reinforcing spatial and class inequalities. By linking fiscal policy with vulnerability outcomes, we offer a framework for analyzing the institutional roots of inefficient spending in unequal democracies, with implications for reform in Brazil and beyond.

This article examines how fiscal stress shaped decision-making processes in the City of East Cleveland, Ohio, one of the most persistently distressed municipalities in the United States. Drawing on theories of bounded rationality, institutional failure, and austerity urbanism, it explores why decades of oversight and recovery planning have failed to restore fiscal stability. Using qualitative analysis of audit reports, public records, and media coverage, the study reveals how limited administrative capacity, political instability, and corruption constrain local governments’ ability to implement recovery plans, even under state supervision. East Cleveland’s experience challenges staged models of municipal recovery that assume a gradual transition from austerity to pragmatic municipalism. Instead, it illustrates how small, structurally disadvantaged cities can become trapped in perpetual fiscal emergency, where procedural oversight substitutes for effective governance. After decades in fiscal emergency, East Cleveland remained without consolidation or receivership until recent state action in 2025. The case contributes to the literature on emergency financial management and institutional theory by demonstrating that the most instructive lessons may come not from best practices, but from persistent failures. It highlights what not to do when navigating fiscal stress.

ABSTRACT This article reassesses Ferit Edgü’s (1936–2024) Kimse [No One, 2018] and O/Hakkâri’de Bir Mevsim [He/A Season in Hakkâri, 2013] to show how existential inquiry, social indictment, and postmodern indeterminacy converge on the unfinished margins of Turkish modernity. Moving beyond readings that focus exclusively on alienation or memory loss, it foregrounds interplay of minimalist style and open form: these novels, characterized by anonymity, split voice, and unresolved injustice, embody what Ihab Hassan terms “postmodern indeterminacy.” Close textual analysis – situated in the documented neglect of Hakkâri and using center–periphery as a heuristic, not a fixed dualism – shows that Edgü’s protagonists confront not only psychological crisis but institutional failure and infrastructural scarcity. In this light, Edgü welds existential angst to ethical critique, bridging late modernism and postmodern procedures. Therefore, the article argues that this existential angst cannot be thought apart from economic and political marginalizations Edgü critiques.

Incarcerated women in Nigeria face significant psychological, emotional, and spiritual challenges within correctional settings characterized by systemic neglect and limited gender-insensitive policies. Despite growing research on global prison populations, little is known about how Nigerian incarcerated women cope and how institutional gaps shape their psychosocial well-being. This study explored the lived experiences and coping strategies of 18 incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women from two southeastern Nigerian correctional centers using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in English and Nigerian Pidgin and analyzed thematically. Rigor was ensured through member checking, peer debriefing, and an audit trail. Findings revealed four major coping strategies: emotional and psychological regulation, spiritual engagement, peer support, and future-oriented routines and meaning-making practices. Participants relied on faith, interpersonal solidarity, and disciplined routines to endure confinement, compensating for the absence of professional psychosocial services. The study also highlighted institutional failures, including inadequate mental health care, poor sanitary conditions, and the absence of trained social workers. These findings underscore the need for gender-responsive, social work-led interventions and structured reintegration support to strengthen psychosocial care in Nigerian correctional facilities. Future research should investigate longitudinal post-release coping trajectories and evaluate social work-driven initiatives.

The land rights of Aboriginal peoples in Bangladesh remain one of the most critical legal and socio-political issues in the country. This article presents a legal study on the status of land rights among aboriginal people, particularly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and other plains regions. It critically analyses the constitutional provisions, national land laws, and customary practices. Despite constitutional guarantees of equality and justice, Aboriginal peoples often face systemic challenges, including land dispossession, lack of recognition of customary tenure, inadequate legal enforcement and limited access to justice. This article explores judicial decisions, government policies, and land commission activities, highlighting the legal gaps and institutional failures that continue to marginalize Aboriginal communities. The study wraps up with a call for changes in the legal framework, stronger recognition of customary land rights, and the need for inclusive governance to ensure land justice for indigenous peoples in Bangladesh.

This study investigates the lived experiences of followers under toxic leadership in Malaysia, extending prior research that established its prevalence and systemic entrenchment. Drawing on a quantitative dataset (n=79) across 24 industries, the analysis shifts focus from documenting occurrence to examining the psychological, motivational, and behavioral consequences of toxic leadership. Findings reveal that more than 80% of respondents experienced significant negative impacts, with over half reporting that harm extended into both work and personal life. Followers overwhelmingly attributed toxic leadership to self-interest and deliberate intent, thereby eroding psychological safety and intensifying distrust. Coping responses were marked by avoidance, silence, emotional withdrawal, and resignation, reflecting not apathy but fear of retaliation and futility of organizational oversight. Paradoxically, beneath this normalization of toxicity lies a fragile but widespread desire for change: 84.8% of respondents expressed openness to reform, with a majority strongly endorsing systemic efforts to prevent and address toxic leadership. By integrating organizational behavior, cultural, and psychological frameworks, this study highlights two enduring insights: toxic leadership produces whole-life harm rooted in perceptions of leader self-interest, and cycles of silence and institutional failure perpetuate toxicity, even as followers retain hope for transformation. These findings underscore the destructive endurance of toxic leadership in Malaysia and the latent collective readiness for change, offering critical implications for leadership scholars and practitioners.

Thepurpose of the presented study is to analyze the strategic advantages of Georgia’s geographical location and the transport and logistics potential of the country, which can become one of the main drivers of the country’s economic growth. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that it considers Georgia as one of the important links between Europe and Asia in the context of the modern Silk Road, which is based on both geographical factors and the political and economic environment. The emphasis is on the prospects for the country’s development as an intermodal logistics hub and on the opportunities that may become tangible through the implementation of the right infrastructural, educational and strategic policies. In addition, the work draws attention to the contradictions associated with monopoly structures, technological backwardness and institutional failures. The study revealed that Georgia’s geographical location, access to Black Sea ports, and stable relations with neighboring countries create a solid foundation for the country to use its transit potential and develop into a regional logistics hub. To do this, it is necessary to systematically upgrade transport infrastructure, attract investments, strengthen logistics education, and introduce technological systems. Effective logistics will not only promote economic growth and competitiveness but also significantly reduce trade costs and increase the country’s investment attractiveness. As a result of strategically planned reforms, Georgia can occupy a central place in the Eurasian trade space, which will significantly strengthen its economic and political position in the region in the long term.

Rationality is one of the cornerstones of modernity and science, however, it has meant a lot of things over the thousands of years of human and social evolution. There was a time when even the word of God as interpreted by the Bible was considered rational. This idea has gone through considerable change even in modern times and this paper starts with the criticism of the modern idea of individual rationality and building on to the idea of society and how rational action results in the formation of social institutions and norms. Next the paper critically analyzes the challenges that the modern idea of rationality has already faced in the light of the development of post-modern approaches in social sciences. And lastly the paper concludes by constructing a ‘pure type’ idea of structured rationality which can be useful in institutional design and critical analysis of institutional failures.

Carl Schmitt's The Concept of the Political delivers a fundamental critique of liberal imperialism and points out blind spots of liberalism. Schmitt's theory profoundly influenced political philosophy in the 20th century, especially in the fields of sovereignty, exceptional states and conflict theory. Its viewpoints are still enlightening for understanding confrontations in international relations (such as the Cold War and the War on Terror), but they also raise ethical concerns about "political moralization". This paper summarizes Carl Schmitt’s viewpoint and examines Carl Schmitt’s critique through two aspects: its historical validation in 20th century liberal institution failures, and its contemporary predicament in the 21st century. This study provides an insight of whether Schmitt's Friend-Enemy distinction theory reveals the fundamental flaws of liberalism and whether liberalism can reduce political conflicts. Combining the current political situation of the world and real events, this paper contends that while Schmitt reveals liberalism's blind spots, his antagonistic view normalizes perpetual conflict. Ultimately, it contributes to broader debates about sustaining pluralistic governance in an era of political polarization.

Planned capitals across the Global South frequently experience unplanned land use transitions that contradict their founding visions. Despite six decades of planning and academic inquiry, Islamabad’s research remains fragmented. Environmental studies have documented land use and land cover changes through remote sensing, while governance-oriented analyses have highlighted institutional weaknesses and policy failures. However, these domains rarely intersect, and few studies systematically link spatial transformations with the underlying governance structures and political–economic processes that drive them. Consequently, the existing literature provides valuable but partial explanations for why Islamabad’s planned order unraveled. This study examines Islamabad, conceived in 1960 as a model of order and green balance, where the built-up area expanded by 377 km2 (from 88 to 465 km2; +426%) and forest cover declined by 83 km2 (−40%) between 1979 and 2019. Using a PRISMA-guided systematic review integrating spatial, governance, and policy data, we synthesized 39 peer-reviewed and gray literature sources to explain why Islamabad’s planned order unraveled. The findings reveal that governance fragmentation between the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), combined with elite capture and weak enforcement of the 2020–2040 Master Plan, has produced enduring contradictions between policy intent and urban reality. These conditions mirror those of other planned capitals, such as Brasília and Abuja. Grounded in Pakistan’s institutional context, the study proposes four actionable reforms: (1) regularization frameworks for informal settlements, (2) cross-agency spatial and fiscal coordination, (3) ecological thresholds within zoning by-laws, and (4) participatory master-plan reviews. Islamabad’s experience illustrates how planned capitals can evolve toward inclusive and ecologically resilient futures through governance reform and adaptive planning.

Humanity exceeds or threatens to exceed the planetary boundaries. The problem of unsustainable lifestyles in affluent contexts is, therefore, increasingly up for debate. Despite growing attention, this theoretical article argues that there is, in science as well as policy, a lack of recognition of the problem of unsustainable volumes of consumption, and institutional failure to address radical lifestyle change. While there is broad consensus about the societal need to address consumption patterns, controversies remain about the need to address the volumes of consumption. The article takes this debate as a point of departure and focuses specifically on a tendency in critical consumption studies within sociology and related disciplines: the neglect of the larger transformative potential embedded in lifestyle change at the grassroot level. It contributes with six arguments for why it is necessary to consider individual lifestyle changes, and particularly consumption reduction, as an active part of the greater transformation needed to make our societies fit within the planetary boundaries. It also contributes by highlighting five critical aspects on how such bottom-up change can contribute to transformative change. It thus contributes to the sociological and interdisciplinary theoretical, empirical, and normative discussion around the interplay between lifestyle change and sustainability transformation.

ABSTRACT Why do resource‐rich African countries struggle to achieve inclusive and sustainable development despite decades of extractive wealth? This study revisits the resource curse hypothesis through the lens of institutional mediation and SDG‐aligned outcomes, focusing on 10 of Africa's most resource‐dependent economies between 1996 and 2022. Employing a mixed‐method econometric strategy—Common Correlated Effects Mean Group for baseline analysis, Cross‐Sectionally Augmented ARDL (CS‐ARDL) for short‐run, and Mean Group estimators for country‐specific insights—the study investigates the effects of natural resource rents on economic growth (SDG 8), income inequality (SDG 10), environmental degradation (SDG 13), and militarization (SDG 16). A composite institutional quality index, derived via Principal Component Analysis of six World Governance Indicators, is introduced as a moderator to capture governance effectiveness. Results reveal a consistent pattern of multidimensional resource curse: resource rents depress growth, worsen inequality, heighten environmental degradation, and drive up military spending. However, strong institutional quality systematically mitigates these negative outcomes. Country‐specific estimates identify Nigeria, Angola, and Congo as particularly vulnerable to institutional failure. These findings affirm that institutional capacity is not just a mediating variable but a decisive condition for converting extractive wealth into sustainable development. The study offers actionable policy insights aligned with SDG targets, emphasizing the need for governance reform, fiscal accountability, and environmental responsibility. It contributes to a growing literature that calls for disaggregated, multidimensional, and governance‐sensitive approaches to resource management in Africa.

BackgroundComplementary and alternative systems of medicine, which include Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), play a significant role in the Indian healthcare system. Despite many efforts to integrate and mainstream AYUSH, there are significant inequities that disadvantage AYUSH doctors compared to their allopathic counterparts. In this paper, we examine the recruitment-related experiences of contractual AYUSH doctors and make some side-by-side comparisons with those of contractual allopathic doctors from two Indian states.MethodsThis study, on which this paper reports, is set within a larger qualitative study conducted in India to examine the experiences of public sector doctors with Human Resource Management systems. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 61 participants, including 33 frontline doctors and 28 policy actors. We employed purposive sampling to select doctors from two states. Data collection occurred from February to October 2019. Thematic analysis, utilizing the Framework Approach, was applied to organize and synthesize qualitative data based on themes identified from the data. We also developed job histories from the interviews with the doctors to explore their experiences with the recruitment system. The quantitative data gathered through job histories were analysed using frequencies and triangulated with the narrative accounts provided by the doctors.ResultsThe paper reports the discontent of AYUSH and allopathic doctors with the recruitment, but this was consistently worse for AYUSH, especially in State 1, in several ways. One, there were significant discrepancies in salaries and allowances between AYUSH and allopathic doctors. Two, AYUSH doctors experienced stagnated career progressions and high job insecurity. Three, the system sabotaged AYUSH doctors’ expectations of progressing to regular recruitment in State 1. And four, AYUSH doctors perceived the system to be highly inequitable and unresponsive towards their concerns, particularly in State 1, with critical implications for health services.ConclusionThis paper highlights the extreme form of inequity perceived and experienced by the contractual AYUSH doctors. The policy and institutional environment surrounding AYUSH integration is weak, and there is a significant failure of institutions to meet the expectations of these doctors. Additionally, there are insufficient translations between policy and practice, leaving larger questions about holistic integration and the inclusion of AYUSH unresolved. Our findings suggest that the subtle nuances discussed in the paper indicate a bias toward allopathic doctors, which may further lead to the marginalization of AYUSH.

ABSTRACT The Israel‐Iran war of 2025 has changed the geopolitical face of the Middle East, not only bringing up the issue of nuclear proliferation, but also putting international diplomacy to the test. This essay assesses the performance of liberal institutionalism based on the latest conflict, paying special attention to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the main institutional mechanism that once carried the promise of peaceful nuclear interaction. The JCPOA was based on the liberal notions of multilateralism and cooperation, reciprocity and institutional oversights; its collapse raises serious doubts regarding the usefulness of these tools in nuclear conflict management. This essay provides background information and assesses how the 2025 conflict will influence the regional and global balance. It then employs the theoretical perspective of liberal institutionalism to observe the direction taken by the Iran‐West relationship to gauge whether international institutions continue to have the ability to forestall state level security dilemmas as they have led to an absence of open‐war conflicts. This study develops a critical analysis of institutional failure to tame the conflict and offers some ideas for understanding its scope and future direction.

Mary Shelley's dystopian novel The Last Man (1826), while a cornerstone of literary studies, offers a profound and underutilized historical imaginary for understanding contemporary societal crises. This article moves beyond traditional literary criticism to reframe Shelley's work as a sociological and educational case study, particularly relevant in the post-COVID-19 era. Using a theoretical framework grounded in the sociology of collective trauma and social cohesion, this analysis investigates the novel's depiction of a "narrative plague"—the collapse of shared meaning, social bonds, and institutional trust—that runs parallel to the medical pandemic it portrays. The study employs a qualitative textual analysis to examine the social-psychological dimensions of isolation, loss, and anomie as depicted in the novel. Findings reveal how the narrative simulates the disintegration of social capital and the failure of political and scientific institutions to manage catastrophe, offering critical insights into the foundations of community resilience and mental health. This 19th-century text is analyzed as a pre-sociological thought experiment, connecting historical representations of societal collapse with contemporary social science discourse on disaster response and recovery. The article argues that the novel's themes have direct implications for educational policy and pedagogy, highlighting the urgent need for trauma-informed approaches that can rebuild social inclusion, foster critical media literacy, and cultivate psychological resilience in an era of profound informational and social fragmentation.

The role of microfinance in poverty alleviation in rural areas of Nigeria is the research focus in this paper. To actualize this, the study was anchored to evaluate how microfinance services influences income levels and economic activities, while also identifying the factors contributing to the success or failure of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in addressing poverty. This research employed a quantitative approach to data collection and involved questionnaires that were administered on 364 microfinance customers within selected rural Nigerian locations. The result indicates that microfinance services enhance income increases and economic activities for small-scale enterprise. However, there are major setbacks including high interest rate, low financial awareness and less expansion. This paper concludes that microfinance is a useful measure in poverty alleviation; nonetheless, its impact may be boosted if financial literacy is raised, credit accessibility is made easier and clients suitable for microfinance targeted. Policy suggestions are such areas as the adoption of financial education interventions and improved micro finance services that are capable of supporting sustainable economic development of rural women.