Social sciences, psychology, economics and the humanities.
A study of Syrian refugees in the Netherlands finds that the ethnic makeup of the region where they were housed influenced whom they came to know. These effects on social contacts remained after five years, while the region’s level of urbanization showed no clear effect.
A study of the 1922 seizure of Fuyang, China, finds that the collapse of a privately controlled defense system helped spur civic networks beyond Anhui. These networks turned humanitarian concern into a limited challenge to warlord power, although their campaign was constrained and partly tied to revolutionary politics.
A review of Legal Plunder describes a new framework for examining how the criminal legal system extracts money, labor and other resources from people subject to it. The framework includes fines, administrative fees, asset forfeitures, charges behind bars and labor requirements under supervision.
A study of Apollonia, Cyrene’s harbor on Libya’s coast, reconstructs how early Greek engineers adapted natural rock ridges and small islands into a working port. It also finds that tectonic movements changed the shoreline and submerged much of the harbor, making its remains harder to interpret.
Research in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region finds that school hairstyle rules regulate more than appearance: they also shape how students experience discipline, recognition and belonging. Students responded through compliance, adaptation, negotiation and resistance, including resistance to expectations around straightened hair.
More than 30 young people with disabilities in Harare took part as co-researchers in a study of climate adaptation and disability. Through storytelling, mapping and group discussions, they challenged exclusionary views and developed ideas including community-led data systems, accessible communication and youth-led advocacy.
Mexico’s 1993 decision to require nine years of schooling changed people’s education, work and family lives, according to a study using 2020 census data. The effects were especially large among Indigenous and rural populations, and parents’ additional schooling was linked to higher school enrolment among their children.
Research on Febi and Kubo people in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province describes a history of incomplete projects, wasted money and development brokers who have not delivered lasting progress. As earlier brokers fell short, new generations emerged, connecting communities to government, financial and service systems while also deepening dependence on personal networks.
Among 426 people living with HIV in Nanning, China, better sleep was associated with higher health-related quality of life. Statistical analyses suggested that depression and anxiety explained much of this relationship, although the study cannot show that poor sleep causes either condition.
An ethnographic study examines how Febi clan heads in Papua New Guinea addressed a dispute over unpaid cash bridewealth involving Pangia neighbours and sometime affines. The case suggests that relationship-building and expectations of future resource benefits helped shift attention from repayment toward renewed sharing.
A new structural model estimates how adding a pukao, or stone topknot, changes the stability of moai on Rapa Nui. It finds that toppling toward the statue’s face requires less tilt and energy than toppling sideways, offering a way to prioritize restored assemblies for monitoring.
Emotional abuse was associated with difficulty paying rent or a mortgage, frequent moves and homelessness among adults with records of intimate partner violence. The study also found that physical, sexual and emotional abuse, along with fear of a partner, were each linked to homelessness.
A study of mice found that familiar companions reduced social fear most effectively when the animals could interact through touch, sight and smell. Visual and smell cues without physical contact did not restore normal social preference.
Arhuaco water management in Colombia’s upper Ariguaní River basin relies on ritual practices, sacred sites and Indigenous rules. The study finds these practices slow environmental deterioration, but modeling indicates that combining them with state institutions is needed to reduce pressure and avoid possible collapse of the system.
A longitudinal study of 1,056 U.S. Catholic priests found that earlier flourishing and stronger support from fellow priests, bishops and lay networks were associated with less loneliness three years later. Psychological distress and burnout were associated with more loneliness, while private prayer frequency was not a significant predictor.
