Validation gaps in Social Science

Representative open questions

Showing 20 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

  The paper contends that effective counter-narratives require 'robust narratives of religious citizenship' and 'recognition of historical injustices' but does not specify what content characteristics, rhetorical strategies, or community validation mechanisms distinguish effective from ineffective counter-narratives to extremist ideology. Comparative analysis of counter-narrative campaigns with measured outcomes on radicalization risk among target populations is needed.

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

  The paper analyzes how mega-events (Riyadh Season, Qiddiya, Saudi Film Commission) and cultural infrastructure projects are framed as symbols of national identity and soft power in Vision 2030 discourse, but does not investigate whether actual stakeholder perceptions—Saudi citizens, investors, tourists, cultural practitioners—align with or diverge from these media-constructed representations.

• General international law in the preamble of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: origin, identification, and application (2026) · doi

  ITLOS has only generated 11 instances of explicit 'general international law' mentions across its case history, which the authors acknowledge is limited; a comparative analysis of how ITLOS applies general international law versus ICJ in overlapping maritime jurisdiction cases is absent, leaving unclear whether institutional differences affect the resort to general international law as a supplementary interpretive tool.

• 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 fsQCA analysis was conducted only on social media discourse from China and Thailand; the configurational pathways and knowledge-based causal combinations have not been validated across other Asian markets with different digital food environments, certification ecologies, or regulatory architectures (e.g., Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea) to determine cross-cultural generalizability of the institutional trust versus platform trust dichotomy.

• Democratic decay by design: how political dynasties rewrite the rules of power in Indonesia? (2026) · doi

  The paper argues that traditional electoral observation and institutional development approaches prove insufficient against sophisticated adaptive dynastic strategies but does not operationalize or test alternative democracy support methodologies. Research should design and evaluate pre-emptive institutionalization strategies, anti-democratic member filtering mechanisms in political parties, and institutional manipulation detection frameworks specifically calibrated to dynastic political engineering.

• Understanding digital health technology implementation in rehabilitation and development of the Rehabilitation Technologies Implementation model (2026) · doi

  The Rehabilitation Technologies Implementation model was generated through triangulation of qualitative interview themes with existing models, but the excerpt does not describe validation of this new model against real-world implementation outcomes. Future work should test the Rehabilitation Technologies Implementation model prospectively across multiple neurological conditions and rehabilitation settings to assess its predictive validity for technology adoption rates and implementation success.

• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-GENERATED ART AND THE QUESTION OF AUTHORSHIP (2026) · doi

  Table 2 shows that final artwork selection has 86% perceived authorship score (highest human influence), but the paper does not examine whether this perception varies across different demographic groups, artistic expertise levels, or cultural backgrounds. The generalizability of authorship perception findings across diverse human evaluators requires investigation.

• Biology, Ethics, and Debunking Arguments (2021) · doi

  The paper presents Street's evolutionary coincidence objection and Sturgeon's genetic fallacy counterargument but does not empirically test whether moral beliefs demonstrably track moral truth across different cultural populations or evolutionary contexts. Controlled comparative studies examining the correlation between fitness-driven moral intuitions and objective normative principles across diverse societies are needed to adjudicate this theoretical dispute.

• The Role of the Psychiatric Expert In Tort Litigation (2026) · doi

  The paper argues that oral expert testimony from psychiatric experts is necessary to satisfy the principle of immediacy in adversarial proceedings, but does not empirically examine how frequently courts currently rely solely on written psychiatric reports versus oral testimony, or quantify the actual impact of missing oral testimony on judicial decision-making accuracy in non-pecuniary damage claims.

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

  The paper applies Kuhn's paradigm framework to both science and religion but does not empirically test whether religious communities actually exhibit the same resistance to falsification and anomaly-deflection patterns as scientific communities under paradigm pressure. Comparative analysis of specific historical theological crises and scientific revolutions using quantitative measures of paradigm persistence would be needed.

• Consensus and legitimation in global AI regulations: a sociosemiotic perspective (2026) · doi

  The corpus analysis reveals that inclusion in AI development requires multi-faceted and participatory design teams reflecting demographic diversity, but lacks empirical validation of which specific diversity metrics (gender, race, nationality, culture ratios) and organizational resource commitments actually produce more equitable AI systems. Comparative studies across regulatory frameworks should measure the effectiveness of diversity-inclusive design processes in preventing discriminatory outcomes.

• Similar, but Not the Same – Personal Perception and Covert Surveillance and Tracking Through The Prism of Legal Regulations, Practical Implementation And Case-Law in Slovenia (2026) · doi

  The distinction between personal perception and covert surveillance in terms of intrusion into private space requires empirical testing through analysis of Slovenian court decisions to determine the threshold at which observation from publicly accessible locations becomes impermissible surveillance. No specific guidance is provided on how courts assess the 'visibility from public space' criterion in contested cases.

• The Effects of Deradicalization Standardized Policy in Advancing Human Security (2026) · doi

  The paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation system that measures ideological transformation through behavioral observation, attitudinal assessment, and continuous monitoring after release, but does not specify the validated psychometric instruments, assessment protocols, or threshold criteria for determining successful ideological reorientation in terrorist inmates undergoing Pancasila-based rehabilitation.

• Career Pathways for Social Sciences in the 21st Century (2026) · doi

  Enhanced career guidance recommendations rely on existing tools (BLS Handbook, LinkedIn, university career centers) but lack evidence on their efficacy in guiding social science students toward tech-hybrid or AI ethics roles.

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

  While the EU AI Act offers a possible prototype of sector-specific international coordination, the applicability and effectiveness of this model for legal profession AI regulation would require detailed exploration.

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

  The feedback loop between AI determining political funding allocation and reinforcing donor motivations is asserted but not empirically validated or quantified.

• Pembinaan dan Validasi Soal Selidik Faktor Sosiobudaya berkaitan COVID-19 dalam kalangan Orang Asli di Malaysia (2024) · doi

  Kajian lanjut diperlukan bagi analisis CFA untuk mengesahkan struktur faktor sosiobudaya iaitu kepercayaan, amalan perubatan tradisional, adat dan budaya tradisional dan sokongan sosial yang dikenal pasti dalam analisis…

• Hubungan Pola Makan Dengan Kualitas Hidup Pasien Hipertensi Di Poliklinik Penyakit Dalam Rumah Sakit Bhakti Medicare Cicurug Kabupaten Sukabumi Provinsi Jawa Barat (2026) · doi

  Need for validation of food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) instruments for assessing dietary intake in Indonesian…

• Effects of Industry 4.0 on Business Models (2026) · doi

  The analysis focuses on qualitative interview data but does not validate findings through quantitative methods or longitudinal studies to measure sustained business model changes.

• Opinion dynamics under electoral shocks in competitive campaigns (2026) · doi

  The comparison with the 2014 and 2018 Brazilian elections, while qualitatively supportive, does not constitute quantitative validation of the model.