Application gaps in Social Science
31 open application research questions in Social Science — gaps in applying findings to new domains, populations, or settings — extracted from 25 papers in our local library. Below are representative open questions, each linked to the paper that raised it.
Representative open questions
Showing 20 of 31 — one per source paper, highest-quality first.
- Between security and belonging: state policy on religious extremism, political values and the politics of identity (2026) · doi
The paper examines how counter-extremism discourse constructs symbolic boundaries between legitimate community members and security threats, with documented effects on minority civic engagement and political trust, but does not analyze how these identitarian effects vary by different institutional contexts (education systems, policing practices, legislative regimes) or how they interact with pre-existing social cohesion levels in different national settings.
- Democratic decay by design: how political dynasties rewrite the rules of power in Indonesia? (2026) · doi
The paper emphasizes that conflict-of-interest provisions and judicial recusal mechanisms are critical safeguards against dynastic manipulation but provides no empirical evaluation of existing conflict-of-interest enforcement capacity in Indonesian courts. Future research should assess implementation gaps in current conflict-of-interest provisions, document rates of judicial recusal in politically-sensitive cases involving ruling families, and test effectiveness of proposed constitutional interpretation strengthening mechanisms.
- Impacto da inteligência artificial no mundo do trabalho – responsabilidade legal na substituição de empregos por IA: Propostas para o futuro (2026) · doi
The proposed legal and regulatory framework emphasizes the need for coordinated action among state institutions (Ministry of Labor, unions, Public Ministry), but the paper does not detail specific mechanisms for inter-institutional coordination, enforcement protocols, or dispute resolution procedures when labor protection obligations conflict with AI implementation in different national or European regulatory systems.
- The Qur’anic Perspective On Identity Construction In Social Media (2026) · doi
The literature review includes studies on social comparison theory in the Qur'an and addictive social media use, but does not synthesize mechanisms by which Qur'anic identity frameworks might mitigate problematic social media behaviors. Intervention studies testing Qur'anically-grounded digital literacy programs on reducing addictive use patterns in Muslim youth populations are needed.
- Science, Biology, and Religion (2021) · doi
The paper discusses Lakatos's research programme model as applied to theology by Murphy but does not specify which theological core theories and auxiliary theories correspond to his framework, nor does it provide concrete examples of how auxiliary theological hypotheses have been modified or rejected in response to problematic data across different religious traditions.
- Simulated influence, real impacts: a cross-cultural qualitative study of ethical and emotional perceptions of virtual influencers (2026) · doi
References to responsibility attribution and explainability (Coeckelbergh 2020) and disclosure requirements (California SB 1001) are cited but the study does not examine whether transparent disclosure of virtual influencer artificial nature modulates emotional responses, ethical concerns, or perceived authenticity in the qualitative interview data.
- The Effects of Deradicalization Standardized Policy in Advancing Human Security (2026) · doi
The paper establishes Pancasila as the foundation for all rehabilitation stages including assessment, intervention, and post-release reintegration, but does not provide comparative efficacy data on how Pancasila-centered ideological modules perform against alternative philosophical or secular rehabilitation frameworks in reducing recidivism rates among released terrorist inmates.
- Etika kepimpinan moral pengarah urusan syarikat pembinaan dalam aspek pengurusan syarikat [The ethical moral leadership of managing directors in construction companies in the aspect of company management] (2026) · doi
The study demonstrates that managing directors apply welfare practices based on Maslow's hierarchy but does not investigate whether these managing directors possess formal training, certification, or explicit knowledge of ethical leadership frameworks (Islamic ethics, corporate governance standards, construction industry codes) that might systematize their approach to amanah and kebajikan.
- Collaborative Governance and New Public Service in Realizing a Single Source of Truth: Evidence from the SIPEDULI and JSDDD Programs in Jembrana Regency (2026) · doi
The study identifies machine-to-machine connectivity integration between SIPEDULI and JSDDD as a potential solution to maintain continuously updated demographic information, but the practical implementation and sustainability of such integration mechanisms are not fully explored.
- The Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Profession (2026) · doi
The international harmonisation aspect of the proposed framework requires more theoretical involvement to establish concrete mechanisms for international coordination in legal profession AI regulation.
- Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Criminal Behavior in Juveniles (2026) · doi
Albanian criminal law lacks specific provisions addressing crimes facilitated through artificial intelligence technologies, creating legal uncertainty when authorities attempt to classify harmful behaviour involving digital manipulation or AI-generated content.
- Human–AI Co-Creation in Film Production: Media Innovation and Aesthetic Governance in AIGC-Supported Filmmaking (2026) · doi
Cultural semantic accuracy in AIGC-generated historical and cultural content requires sustained human intervention through prompt refinement, reference constraints, and post-generation correction, effectively transforming cultural accuracy into an additional layer of creative labor.
- Achieving bottom-up ethical, legal, and societal implications and responsible research and innovation in the synthetic biology research community from the Japanese context (2026) · doi
ELSI/RRI education efforts in Japan have not yet been integrated into nationwide curriculum frameworks, remaining sporadic and primarily driven within certain research projects and academic societies.
- Hubungan Pola Makan Dengan Kualitas Hidup Pasien Hipertensi Di Poliklinik Penyakit Dalam Rumah Sakit Bhakti Medicare Cicurug Kabupaten Sukabumi Provinsi Jawa Barat (2026) · doi
Lack of research on implementation of healthy lifestyle interventions specifically designed to lower blood pressure and improve quality of life in community settings
- Indigenous Leadership and Its Role in Anglo-Sirmaur Relations (2026) · doi
The paper identifies that indigenous leaders faced a duality of cooperation with the British while addressing local grievances, but does not provide sufficient case studies or examples of how individual leaders navigated this tension.
- Deprem sonrası yok olan geleneksel bir konut bahçesinin özgün mekânsal temsili: Hasan Arıkan evi örneği (2026) · doi
Post-disaster protection and reconstruction processes should treat civil architecture as holistic cultural systems including courtyards, gardens, streets, and neighboring houses, rather than limiting intervention to building scale alone.
- Decentring the governance of AI in the military: a focus on the postcolonial subject (2026) · doi
The essay has not sought to unpack the underlying logics of algorithmic warfare in the Global South in the detail it deserves, only addressing it insofar as it informs the operation of the postcolonial subject in international governance.
- Disparities in Marriage Dispensation Due to Pregnancy: Analysis of Vage Women Norm and Maṣlaḥah Mursalah (2026) · doi
The development of clearer interpretative parameters grounded in maqāṣid-oriented child protection principles is essential to maintain a balance between judicial flexibility and legal certainty in the practice of marriage dispensation.
- Afterword: The Future(s) of Social Medicine (2025) · doi
The bridging role of social medicine practitioners between life scientists and grassroots community organizations to prevent life scientists from silencing community voices has yet to be realized.
- DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF SOME ASPECTS OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC BEHAVIOR OF A FEMALE ADOLESCENT POPULATION (2025) · doi
The need for more comprehensive sex education in school settings, as expressed by 7.8% of surveyed girls who indicated this need.
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