Frontiers in Sociology最新文献

{"title":"Perceptions of inequality and meritocracy: their interplay in shaping preferences for market justice in Chile (2016-2023).","authors":"Juan Carlos Castillo, Andreas Laffert, Kevin Carrasco, Julio Iturra-Sanhueza","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1634219","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1634219","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Several countries have experienced a shift toward the privatization and commodification of public goods, welfare policies, and social services. In Latin America, Chile stands out as a paradigmatic case where this trend has led to the extensive marketization of essential services. From a moral economy perspective, the extent to which individuals consider it fair for access to such services to depend on market criteria has been conceptualized as market justice preferences. This study investigates the relationship between perceptions of economic inequality, meritocratic beliefs, and market justice preferences in Chile between 2016 and 2023.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using six waves of panel data from the Chilean Longitudinal Social Survey-ELSOC (Nobservations = 8,643; Nindividuals = 1,687), the analysis examines how subjective assessments of inequality shape attitudes toward the role of merit in access to key social services such as healthcare, education, and pensions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings show that greater perceived inequality is associated with lower market justice preferences. However, individuals who believe that effort is rewarded are more likely to legitimize existing disparities. In contrast, the perception that talent is rewarded shows a negative effect on market justice preferences; an effect that intensifies as perceived inequality increases over time. The study also considers the influence of major social movements during this period, which appear to have reshaped public discourse on justice and fairness.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how distributive beliefs evolve in contexts marked by persistent inequality and entrenched neoliberal frameworks. They indicate that while perceptions of inequality tend to undermine support for market justice, meritocratic beliefs-particularly those emphasizing effort-reinforce its legitimacy. By contrast, talent-based meritocratic perceptions weaken it, especially as inequality becomes more salient. The results also suggest that major collective events, such as the 2019 protests, did not fundamentally alter these underlying associations.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1634219"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12488697/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145233515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Realizing human rights in rural Punjab of India: a study of enforcement of selected human rights.","authors":"Puneet Pathak, Vagisha Nandini, Deepesh Yadav, Sukhwinder Kaur, Rajinder Kumar Sen, Shanti Riang","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1619603","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1619603","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The realization of human rights assumes great significance in the context of India, the largest democracy in the world. Being a state party to binding international human rights covenants, India is obligated to take measures to ensure the realization of human rights by its citizens. With over 64% of its population residing in the villages, the panchayati raj institutions assume a crucial role in the realizing of human rights, considering their proximity to the rural population. The study's objective is to analyze the status of realization of selected human rights in terms of the 'respect, protect, fulfill and promote' framework, i.e., health, education and political participation in the selected Gram panchayats of Indian Punjab. The study adopted a quantitative approach, and primary data were collected through survey questionnaires from members of selected Gram Panchayats and beneficiaries availing the benefits of related governmental schemes. The study offers insights into the degree to which the state obligations regarding the selected human rights are being upheld and how the variation can be explained. The result revealed inconsistencies between the claims of panchayat members and the beneficiaries' experiences. The study exposed deficiencies in infrastructure and service delivery across the rights. The study recommends improving awareness and satisfaction regarding the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan schemes for fulfilling the rights to health and education. Enhanced efforts are needed to promote these rights through regular awareness campaigns and discussions at Gram Sabha meetings. Furthermore, there is a need to strengthen campaigns for electoral participation, ensuring consistent and well-communicated Gram Sabha meetings, and active facilitation of the political involvement of marginalized groups for the effective realization of the right to political participation.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1619603"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12481066/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145207845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-class interactions and subjective inequality: perceptions, beliefs and distributive preferences at a Colombian elite university.","authors":"Andres Mauricio Galeano-Salgado, María José Álvarez-Rivadulla","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1619937","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1619937","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examines how cross-class interactions influence perceptions and beliefs of inequality, and distributive preferences. It is based on the implementation of <i>Ser Pilo Paga</i>, a government program that granted access to high-quality higher education for low-income students in Colombia. Drawing on 61 in-depth interviews and complementary survey data, we find that exposure to peers from different socioeconomic backgrounds recalibrates students' understanding of inequality, making their perceptions more accurate and their attitudes toward redistribution more favorable-regardless of class. While students consistently held structural views of inequality, these interactions reshaped their views on merit, revealing its dual function as both a source of validation and a relational tool. Notably, we find that meritocratic beliefs coexisted with structural critiques, challenging assumptions that meritocracy legitimizes inequality. Finally, support for the fellowship program was nuanced and ambivalent, particularly among beneficiaries, who recognized both its benefits and its limitations as a redistributive mechanism. These findings advance sociological understandings of subjective inequality by highlighting how class contact in segregated societies can shift beliefs and preferences in ways that challenge dominant theories of self-interest and merit-based legitimation.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1619937"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12481291/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145207825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The health consequences of stigma and discrimination: a systematic review and meta-analysis of their impact on Black non-binary individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Ikekhwa Albert Ikhile, Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1567887","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1567887","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Black non-binary individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa experience pervasive stigma and discrimination, which negatively influence their health outcomes. Despite the significance of these challenges, their unique lived experiences remain underreported within public health research. This study sought to systematically investigate the health consequences of stigma and discrimination on this marginalized population.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A systematic review was conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review incorporated 15 peer-reviewed studies from 13 Sub-Saharan African countries. Data extraction focused on three domains: mental health outcomes, physical health vulnerabilities, and barriers to accessing and utilizing healthcare services.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The review highlighted a profound mental health burden within the population, with 74% of participants exhibiting symptoms of depression, 65% reporting anxiety, and 45% experiencing suicidal ideation. Physical health vulnerabilities included heightened risks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. These health risks were compounded by systemic discrimination and restricted access to healthcare. Notably, 75% of participants reported challenges in accessing gender-affirming healthcare services. Key barriers included healthcare provider bias, the absence of culturally competent services, and broader systemic inequities across healthcare systems.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study underscores the urgent need for targeted, evidence-based interventions to address the disproportionate health burdens faced by Black non-binary individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa. It further emphasizes the importance of implementing inclusive healthcare policies and culturally competent practices to ensure equitable health outcomes for this underserved population.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251080364.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1567887"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12477721/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145200627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fiscal stress as a catalyst for public service provision in China: evidence from the VAT reform.","authors":"Xiaoshan Cai, Bin Zhang, Jin Yang","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1610852","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1610852","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Local government responses to fiscal stress are crucial for ensuring public service provision, especially in times of fiscal tightening. Previous studies have shown inconsistent findings, often focusing on developed countries in Europe and the United States. This study uses China's 2016 VAT reform as a quasi-natural experiment and applies a generalized difference-in-differences (DID) model to investigate the impact of fiscal stress on local government public service provision. The results reveal that fiscal stress promotes, rather than constrains, public service provision. The findings remain robust after a series of sensitivity tests. Furthermore, fiscal stress is found to be more conducive to enhancing public service provision in regions with lower fiscal decentralization, high-intensity intergovernmental competition, and higher fiscal transparency. This paper highlights the importance of a country's unique fiscal decentralization system and government performance evaluation goals in shaping local government behavior under fiscal stress. The findings provide valuable insights for improving fiscal allocation efficiency and guiding local government responses, with broader implications for similar studies in other developing countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1610852"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12459633/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145150996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence and big data in population health: a scoping review.","authors":"Vincent Couture, Marie-Christine Roy, Emma Dez, Fannie Tremblay, Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1536389","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1536389","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Artificial intelligence systems (AIS) powered by big data (BD) are more and more common in the healthcare sector and many anticipate that they will have a substantial effect on population health. Facing the disruptive potential of these transformations, there is a need to keep the pace with the ethical reflection accompanying the uses of AIS and the BD systems enabling such innovations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To carry out this task, we conducted a scoping review of the ethical issues of AIS and BD, in population health, based on 243 scholarly articles.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our results show the explosion of publications on the subject in recent years. Our qualitative analysis of this literature highlights the potential issues of AIS and BD on the three components of population health: (1) the health outcomes and their distribution in the population and between populations; (2) the patterns of health determinants; (3) the policies and interventions developed to connect the previous components.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Our conclusions show the uncertainty of the positive outcomes of these technologies and their potential for unequal distribution. Authors consider that AIS and BD will affect determinants of health either in their understanding and by transforming the structure of these determinants. At last, this review points that the policies and interventions developed to attain population health goals will have to answer to numerous ethical expectations. This review offers a comprehensive mapping of ethical issues raised by the uses of AIS in the global field of population health.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1536389"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12454051/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145139028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond multiculturalism? Rethinking Japan's \"tabunka-kyōsei\" through Axel Honneth's theory of recognition.","authors":"Hiroyuki Ishimatsu","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1653520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1653520","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In Japan, the concept of <i>tabunka-kyōsei</i> (tabunka-kyōsei) has emerged in response to the growing number of foreign residents, yet its ideological background and policy implications remain insufficiently examined in international discourse. Unlike multiculturalism in Europe, Canada, and Australia, it has evolved under Japan's unique social conditions and remains conceptually distinct.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study adopts a normative theoretical approach, analyzing tabunka-kyōsei through Axel Honneth's theory of recognition. Selected local initiatives are used illustratively to explore broader conceptual implications without empirical validation of specific cases.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis traces the development of foreign resident policies in Japan, identifies the distinctive ideological and institutional features of tabunka-kyōsei, and compares them with Western multiculturalism. Differences include limited rights-based frameworks and an emphasis on exchange and mutual understanding over institutional recognition.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Applying Honneth's three-layered framework of love, law, and solidarity, the study argues that institutional recognition and social solidarity are central to evaluating Japan's multicultural practices beyond cultural tolerance. The findings contribute to normative debates on tabunka-kyōsei and offer insights for designing inclusive policies in contemporary Japan.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1653520"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12454350/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145139041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Values and challenges of participatory art in urban and community development: a 10-year systematic review.","authors":"Zichen Ke","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1571383","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1571383","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Participatory art is increasingly recognised as a viable intervention initiative in engaging public participation for urban and community development, effectively addressing social challenges. This study selected 20 key articles published in the past 10 years from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases, covering diverse cultural and socio-political contexts. Through thematic analysis, it identified six core values, social empowerment and democratisation, multidimensional communication, enhanced community cohesion, local cultural identity, educational promotion, and economic benefits. Additionally, it highlights the four significant challenges, including political and commercial antagonism, social participation and acceptance, sustainability issues, and resource and funding problems. The findings provide practical guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and relevant stakeholders, helping to navigate complexities, maximise the benefits of this initiative, and address the identified challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1571383"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12446243/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145114410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why are we awake? Algorithmic serendipity and the sociology of sleeplessness.","authors":"Boroka Bo, Aidan O'Sullivan, Eva Bariol, Nicole Kucherenko, Molly Behan","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1492373","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1492373","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Algorithmic serendipity is the seemingly chance encounter with exactly the right content, engineered by online recommender systems, linking individuals to one another and to digital remedies. This phenomenon transforms the individual experience of insomnia into a collective experience, creating communities around shared sleeplessness. Using a corpus of YouTube comments, we present a comprehensive theory of how algorithmic mediation may reshape insomnia in late modernity. Insomniacs forgo rest to read and share their experiences with sleeplessness, forging community instead of sleep. In tracing this loop, we show how disclosure practices, peer validation, and platform logic fuse to turn a private symptom into a shared social condition. The result is a paradox: the same digital infrastructures that soothe wakeful nights sustain insomnia. Recognizing this underscores that digital culture must sit at the center of sleep research. Interventions should target not only individuals, but the collective rhythms and norms that animate digital worlds.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1492373"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12446364/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145114430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Palliative and end-of-life care in the post-pandemic era: old problems and new perspectives.","authors":"Barbara Sena, Enrico De Luca, Guido Giarelli","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1679984","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2025.1679984","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":"10 ","pages":"1679984"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12440980/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145087518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}