Social Policy

A new study identifies why Somalia struggles to vaccinate its most vulnerable children—nomadic herders, displaced persons, and remote communities—revealing that current programs use generic approaches rather than tailored strategies for each group. Policymakers and health organizations must redesign delivery systems and involve local communities to close dangerous immunization gaps.EN

A new research collection reveals that nuclear energy's impact extends far beyond power plants—from uranium mining to waste storage, each stage creates distinct geographic and political challenges. For policymakers and energy executives, understanding these spatial dimensions is critical to assessing feasibility, costs, and public acceptance of nuclear expansion.EN

A new study reveals that students from post-Soviet countries are choosing Sweden as a refuge not from COVID-19, but from chronic unemployment, government distrust, and armed conflict at home. The finding suggests education has become a migration strategy for escaping entrenched regional instability—a shift with implications for university recruitment, workforce planning, and geopolitical stability.EN

Swedish researchers found that people avoiding national news during Covid-19 weren't simply disinterested — they occupied precarious social positions and were disengaging from public life more broadly. The finding suggests news avoidance signals deeper social vulnerability, reshaping how policymakers and media organizations should think about audience fragmentation and democratic participation.EN

Public libraries across Sweden report varying crime rates tied directly to building layout and design choices, with staff already taking safety precautions to avoid high-risk zones. The finding suggests libraries—and other public institutions—can reduce incidents through better architectural planning, offering a low-cost alternative to increased staffing.EN

A study of Swedish municipalities adopting robotic process automation for welfare casework found the technology didn't improve speed, fairness, or client service as expected. The mismatch between rigid software rules and complex human circumstances suggests governments pursuing similar automation strategies may need to reconsider their implementation approach.EN

A new analysis of Tunisia's 2019 election reveals women candidates report feeling targeted by online attacks despite Facebook data showing little gender-based harassment. The disconnect suggests current monitoring tools may miss real harms, raising questions about election integrity safeguards and how platforms measure abuse.EN

A comprehensive review of 117 studies reveals that Holocaust education outcomes remain largely unmeasured and understudied, despite decades of classroom practice worldwide. The gap between teaching and rigorous evidence poses challenges for policymakers seeking to design effective curricula and for institutions accountable for student learning outcomes.EN

Women in Sweden disproportionately handle information-seeking and administrative tasks for parental benefits—both their own and their partners'—according to new research. The findings suggest that invisible administrative labor may be a hidden brake on gender equality, pointing to how government services could be redesigned to distribute this burden more fairly.EN

Three Nordic universities have anti-harassment policies in place, but a new study reveals they collapse without dedicated staff and resources. The research identifies a critical gap: institutions assign someone the job of caring for victims, then fail to support that person, threatening the sustainability of programs meant to protect students and faculty.EN

Researchers have mapped how populist parties across Europe blend images and text on Facebook to subtly influence voters' views on refugee issues. The finding matters because advertisers, platforms, and policymakers need to understand how visual rhetoric drives political persuasion—and misinformation—at scale.EN

A new framework identifies sexual coercion in power relationships as a distinct governance problem that policy makers have largely ignored. The work could reshape how organizations—from universities to government agencies—measure and prevent abuse of authority.EN

A controlled experiment found no causal link between alcohol posts on social media and drinking behavior—contradicting years of industry assumptions. The finding suggests the relationship between these platforms and alcohol consumption may be far more complex than previously believed, forcing a reckoning for alcohol brands relying on social sharing strategies.EN

A comprehensive analysis of 50 years of studies identifies the specific neighborhood types and land uses that concentrate firearm violence in urban areas. The findings could help city planners and policymakers direct safety interventions more strategically, potentially reducing shootings through targeted urban design and enforcement.EN

A Swedish study identifies three distinct patterns in how immigrant families arrange care for aging relatives—some relying entirely on family, others mixing family and public services. The findings reveal that personal resources and institutional barriers, not just cultural preference, drive these choices, with major implications for social policy and healthcare workforce planning.EN

A new study of Swedish public opinion reveals that traditional security concerns barely move defense spending attitudes. Instead, gender, political affiliation, and trust in institutions are the real drivers—a finding that challenges how policymakers frame military commitment to newly integrated NATO members.EN

Researchers propose that culture works like genetic code to guide child development, allowing humans to master skills far too complex for biological evolution alone. The finding could reshape how educators, technologists, and policymakers design learning systems and training programs.EN

A major review of academic workplace culture reveals that collegiality—the foundation of university operations and scientific integrity—is under strain from competing institutional pressures. Researchers identify institutional trust, field-level dynamics, and communication as critical blind spots that policymakers and university leaders must address to preserve academic freedom and social contribution.EN

Researchers identified four distinct microbiome profiles that persist across women's menstrual cycles, driven by bacterial composition and phage activity rather than menstruation alone. The finding could reshape how clinicians diagnose and treat vaginal infections, opening markets for personalized microbiome diagnostics and targeted therapies.EN

Researchers found that mothers of children with school absenteeism face intense pressure to stay calm and cooperative while navigating education systems—even as those systems hold them individually responsible for solutions. The findings highlight how emotional labor expectations compound systemic failures, raising questions for employers and policymakers about workplace demands on caregiving parents.EN

A new analysis reveals that Russia's 2014 invasion didn't just change Ukraine's military strategy—it fundamentally rewired the country's political power structure, eliminating domestic opposition to a pro-Western turn. The shift has major implications for how geopolitical realignment happens: painful crises can override decades of internal division when they eliminate the political constituencies that benefited from the old order.EN

Researchers say scientists studying water systems have largely ignored insights from peace and conflict experts who understand how power dynamics and politics shape water disputes. Integrating this knowledge could improve water governance and prevent conflicts over shared resources—critical as competition for water intensifies globally.EN

A new study shows that users don't simply mistake AI for human due to deception: they're actively yearning for genuine connection. The finding matters for companies deploying chatbots and policymakers regulating AI—understanding this psychological hunger could shape how we design these tools and manage public expectations around artificial intelligence.EN

A large-scale experiment found that school principals respond less favorably to enrollment inquiries from families with Arab names or lower-income backgrounds—suggesting that competition in education markets may worsen inequality rather than improve it. The findings raise urgent questions about how privatization affects access to public services across Europe.EN

A study of Pakistan's 2010 floods shows that effective state disaster response can restore public confidence in government—but only when that government hasn't been a party to the violence itself. For policymakers and development organizations, the finding suggests that humanitarian action offers a rare opportunity to repair institutional credibility in war-torn regions, with direct implications for state-building and long-term stability.EN