Theory gaps in Social Science

Representative open questions

Showing 18 of 25 — 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

  Figure 4 presents a radicalization pathway model with feedback loops showing how policy responses can amplify or reduce structural drivers of radicalization, but the paper does not specify the quantitative thresholds, temporal dynamics, or community-specific conditions under which particular policy choices trigger these feedback mechanisms. Empirical mapping of these feedback loops across different Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority populations is required.

• A corpus-based critical discourse analysis of news on the web representing Saudi Vision 2030 (2026) · doi

  The CDA reveals ideological positioning of Saudi Arabia as a modern global economic actor through Vision 2030 discourse, but the analysis does not examine counter-narratives or critical framings present in the corpus—specifically, no systematic investigation of whether alternative discourses questioning Vision 2030's economic feasibility, social impact, or geopolitical motivations are present or marginalized in international news coverage.

• Unveiling digital knowledge pathways for pregnancy-related green food purchase orientations: a comparative fsQCA study of social media discourse in China and Thailand (2026) · doi

  The coverage rates for fsQCA configurations dropped notably (0.67 to 0.64 in China; 0.63 to 0.60 in Thailand) when case frequency thresholds were increased from 1 to 2, indicating that a substantial proportion of pregnant women's green food decision pathways remain unexplained; the specific knowledge configurations or behavioral patterns of these uncovered cases were not investigated or characterized.

• Eastern-medicine doctors in 1910s Korea integrating Western medicine on their own terms (2021) · doi

  The paper contrasts Korea's acceptance of Eastern medicine with 'serious challenge' to East Asian medicine in Japan and China during the colonial period, but does not provide specific comparative analysis of institutional policies, licensing regulations, or physician response strategies that differentiated Korea's medical integration from these neighboring countries.

• Impacto da inteligência artificial no mundo do trabalho – responsabilidade legal na substituição de empregos por IA: Propostas para o futuro (2026) · doi

  The paper proposes that AI should function as a productivity enhancement tool rather than a replacement mechanism, but does not specify measurable criteria or operational thresholds for determining when AI implementation crosses the boundary from augmentation to substitution in workplace contexts, nor how to legally enforce this distinction.

• Controversies in biology: implications for the study of biology and politics (2017) · doi

  Single brain structures (e.g., amygdala) perform multiple functions, making one-to-one mapping between specific brain regions and particular political attitudes or mental states unreliable. Research should develop testable computational models of political thinking that specify how interconnected and numerous brain centers collectively produce partisan bias and motivated reasoning, rather than attributing political behavior to isolated regional activation.

• Science, Biology, and Religion (2021) · doi

  The boundary question debate between mechanistic and teleological explanations for cosmic existence is presented without systematic comparison of how different theological paradigms (Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, etc.) differentially respond to the multiverse hypothesis as an alternative to divine creation.

• Simulated influence, real impacts: a cross-cultural qualitative study of ethical and emotional perceptions of virtual influencers (2026) · doi

  The paper discusses opinion leadership antecedents in human influencers (Casaló et al. 2020) but lacks comparative analysis of which specific influencer attributes (visual realism, parasocial interaction design, brand alignment, narrative authenticity) drive opinion leadership differently in virtual versus human influencers across the cultural samples studied.

• APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN LAWMAKING AND PRIVATE LAW (2026) · doi

  The paper identifies three competing legal frameworks for AI authorship in intellectual property law (co-authorship, AI as civil legal entity, and service labor models) but does not provide comparative analysis of how each framework would be applied to specific categories of AI-generated works in private law contexts, nor does it address conflict-of-law issues when AI systems operate across jurisdictions with different authorship recognition standards.

• The Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Profession (2026) · doi

  The access to justice pillar has not yet developed an extensive normative approach to ensuring that regulatory design actively promotes equitable results in AI implementation in law.

• The Algorithmic Leviathan: Artificial Intelligence, The Reshaping of Political Power, and the Existential Threat to Human Agency (2026) · doi

  The mechanisms by which AI systems forecast policy impacts and create informational asymmetry for political leaders are described theoretically but lack concrete examples or measurable indicators.

• Counting to Zero: How Caste Census Navigates the Contradiction of Recognition and Annihilation (2026) · doi

  The tension between federal constitutional principles and state-level social justice initiatives is likely to shape future debates on caste enumeration, but the precise framework for resolving this remains unestablished.

• Deprem sonrası yok olan geleneksel bir konut bahçesinin özgün mekânsal temsili: Hasan Arıkan evi örneği (2026) · doi

  Literature rarely addresses the role of plant materials in traditional courtyard gardens as living data carriers of spatial memory and cultural heritage in reconstruction processes.

• Human–AI Co-Creation in Film Production: Media Innovation and Aesthetic Governance in AIGC-Supported Filmmaking (2026) · doi

  There is no unified judicial judgment standard worldwide regarding copyright litigation in generative image systems, and judgment results show dynamic evolution, creating persistent systemic risk and uncertainty in the legal environment.

• Decentring the governance of AI in the military: a focus on the postcolonial subject (2026) · doi

  Several avenues still require in-depth study concerning postcolonial subjectivity and emerging military technologies beyond the international governance focus of this paper.

• Demographic decline and resurgence in the aging century - grid-level population tendency grasped by artificial intelligence (2026) · doi

  The model cannot anticipate future societal preferences or policy shifts that may significantly alter fertility, mortality, or migration patterns, as these behavioral and institutional factors are inherently unpredictable over multi-decade horizons.

• Afterword: The Future(s) of Social Medicine (2025) · doi

  Biosocial knowledge from life science discoveries (neuroplasticity, gut microbiome, epigenetics) has potential for social medicine but risks molecularizing and reducing social environments, and this tension has yet to be adequately resolved.

• DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF SOME ASPECTS OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC BEHAVIOR OF A FEMALE ADOLESCENT POPULATION (2025) · doi

  There is an obvious reluctance on the part of parents and teachers to discuss sexual education in schools; research on overcoming these barriers and changing attitudes is needed.