FWU Journal of Social Sciences

The The Influence of the Digital Divide on External Political Efficacy: An Empirical Study from Khon Kaen, Thailand

Kasipat Thonmanee — 2026-09-28

Digital inequalities pose a threat to democratic participation, especially at the local
level where citizen–government interactions are most direct. This study examines
how multidimensional digital inequalities influence external political efficacy—
citizens’ perceptions of government responsiveness in Khon Kaen Municipality,
Thailand. Moving beyond basic access, the study employs a three-level digital
divide framework (access, usage, and benefits) and analyzes survey data from 399
respondents using multiple regression. Results show that both digital access and
usage significantly enhance external political efficacy, while perceived benefits of
digital engagement, though positive, are not statistically significant. Sociodemographic factors such as age, occupation, and political ideology also influence
efficacy perceptions. These findings suggest that addressing digital inequality
requires more than expanding infrastructure; it demands inclusive digital policies
that foster meaningful engagement, build trust in institutions, and enhance
democratic governance at the grassroots level.

Dr China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Bold but Responsible Influence

ZIA UL HAQUE SHAMSI — 2026-09-28

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China is an important communication and
connectivity programme of the 21st century. It has sparked controversy over China's
strategic motives, the economic viability of its projects, and its impact on
developing countries. However, it seeks to influence state behaviour through its
infrastructure, finance, and long-term economic interdependence, without applying
military coercion or regime engineering. The paper aims to make this argument in
two steps. First, it constructs a theoretical prism that combines classical realism with
another notion, realizm, which emphasises an increasing awareness within major
powers that often neglects the long-term interests of weaker nations. This notion of
realizm is inspired by complex interdependence. Second, it utilises a qualitative,
descriptive approach to analyse the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as
the flagship project of the BRI, which is mutually beneficial to both China and
Pakistan. This discussion has concluded that BRI has thus far been a somewhat
responsible form of great-power influence that China aims to exert as a global
player, without any hint of its military ambitions.

Underpinning China’s Approach in Institutionalizing Interdependence and Regional Order in Central Asia

Fatima Rasheed Ahmad — 2026-09-28

Under the administration of XI Jinping, China has significantly reshaped its
extended patterns of interaction in Central Asia across security, institutional
governance and development. This increased engagement has already observed
in existing scholarly literature under economic perspective, whereas shaping
regional order through institutional mechanism remains rather unresearched. By
using the lens of complex interdependence theory, the study examines Beijing’s
approach towards the Central Asia, particularly, focusing on how issue linkage,
policy coordination and institutional interaction influence governance
mechanism and outcomes in the region. It further analyzes how Chinese
engagement intersects with governance outcomes related to stability, peace and
strong institution in relations to the targets of SDG-16. This research utilizes
qualitative document analysis and process tracing of official policy papers and
secondary literature, dealing Central Asia as a regional case with Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) and institutions under Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) as embedded units of analysis. The results show that Chinese institutional
mechanism supports patterns of asymmetric interdependence which is
contributory to an evolving regional order in the region pigeonholed by
institution-based governance, cooperation and infrastructural development or
connectivity. An extensive debate is provided under this research on institutional
mechanism and governance, regional order and Chinese foreign course of action
by emphasizing on the role of institution in linking development and security.

Islamic Informed Environmental Governance

Arip Purkon — 2026-09-28

This article examines the contribution of Islamic legal thought to the
formulation of a Islamic informed environmental governance framework amid
the increasingly complex global ecological crisis. Employing a normative
critical qualitative approach and trans-disciplinary analysis, the study
integrates classical and contemporary Islamic legal literature with theories of
environmental governance and environmental ethics, as well as findings from
modern ecological science. The findings demonstrate that Islamic legal
principles can be reconstructed into environmental governance through two
interrelated mechanisms. First, mutual critical reconstruction enables
ecological science to expand juristic understandings of environmental harm
and interdependence, while Islamic legal reasoning provides normative criteria
for evaluating the justice and legitimacy of environmental responses. Second,
these reconstructed principles are operationalized through a recursive
governance cycle linking Islamic based normative sources, ethical translation,
institutional mediation, policy implementation, and evaluative feedback.
Based on these mechanisms, this study proposes a Islamic informed
environmental governance model that moves beyond the normative integration
of Islamic environmental values by providing a systematic pathway for
translating Islamic legal norms into governance practices. Instruments such as
fatwas, fiqh doctrines, and waqf mechanisms can thereby inform institutional
deliberation, community action, and policy development. The model’s
distinctive contribution lies in combining mutual epistemological
reconstruction with an institutionally mediated and continuously revisable
governance process.

The Mediating Role of Work Engagement on the Relationship between Emotional SelfAwareness and Occupational Fatigue among Manufacturing Sector Employees

MEHMET HAKAN DURUKAN — 2026-09-28

Occupational fatigue, marked by feelings of emotional and physical exhaustion, continues to be a significant issue in contemporary work environments. Understanding the psychological factors that protect against fatigue is thus crucial. This study examines the mediating effect of work engagement in the connection between emotional self-awareness and occupational fatigue. Drawing on Affective Events Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, the research asserts that employees who understand and control their emotions can better maintain engagement, which acts as a personal resource to resist fatigue. A quantitative approach was taken, gathering survey information from 325 employees in varied industries with established scales for emotional self-awareness, work engagement and occupational fatigue. The findings to show that emotional self-awareness was found to be negatively correlated with occupational fatigue, placing the hypothesis that those with higher levels of awareness feel less fatigue. Further, the findings show that work engagement partially mediates between emotional self-awareness and occupational fatigue, implying that being emotionally self-aware means employees are more engaged at work, reducing fatigue in challenging working situations. The findings highlight the imperative of facilitating emotional self-awareness and engagement among organizations. Enhancing emotions understanding and directing emotions into productive behaviours, organizations can foster resilience, maintain energy, and promote psychological satisfaction, thus alleviating the negative impacts of occupational fatigue.

Pakistan's Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World: Strategic Diversification, Managed Interdependence, and the Limits of Strategic Autonomy

Sajid Iqbal Sajid Iqbal — 2026-09-28

The current international system is shifting from unipolarity to multipolarity, as
multiple centers of economic, political and strategic power emerge. This systemic
transition has reshaped developing countries' foreign policy options, opening new
avenues for multi-vector cooperation and highlighting severe structural issues of
economic dependence and strategic autonomy. In this context, Pakistan is crucial,
as the country is located at the intersection of three core regions of the world,
namely South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, and maintains warm
bilateral relationships with four major poles of the world: China, the USA, Russia
and Saudi Arabia. This paper examines Pakistan's operational approach to strategic
diversification, which is based on diplomatic interaction, trade relations, and
investment cooperation. We use an integrated International Relations (IR)
approach of hedging, balancing, and complex interdependence to examine how
Pakistan uses economic diplomacy to cope with great-power competition. The
analysis shows that strategic diversification has led to greater flexibility in
Pakistan's contemporary diplomacy and created important avenues for
cooperation. However, it has structurally failed to bring any substantive change in
the country's efforts to attain strategic autonomy, due to continued economic
deficits, external debt obligations, and the vulnerabilities of managed
interdependence.

Deterrence and Innovation: Rethinking Strategic Stability in South Asia

Muhammad Arif Khan — 2026-09-28

Airpower has become a crucial deterrent in South Asia, particularly in context of Balakot conflict in 2019 and its escalation in 2025. This article employs deterrence theory as an analytical framework to examine how Pakistan has strategically employed airpower to thwart Indian objectives, maintain regional stability and enhance credibility. Pakistan demonstrated professional restraint and restored legitimacy of deterrence with its measured response which included downing Indian fighters and employing precision targeting. Three fundamental principles of deterrence have been illustrated in this article: clear signaling, prompt and obvious action and credible capability. Pakistan's rapidly evolving airpower doctrine was further brought to light by 2025 escalation. Pakistan's deterrent posture was reinforced by outcomes, which showed that strategic moderation combined with technological innovation might prevent crises from spiralling out of hand. This article contextualizes South Asian events within a broader global discourse on airpower and deterrence. The lessons learned by Pakistan can be used by both great and regional powers: while careful use of airpower can avert or defuse crises, smaller nations can deploy advanced air capabilities to overcome inequalities

Explaining Hotel Pricing Strategies Through Service Offerings: Evidence from A Mediation Model of People, Process, and Physical Evidence

Joseph Emil David — 2026-09-28

This study examines how the service Ps (people, physical evidence, and process)
shape the pricing strategies of a university-operated hotel and tests the
mediating role of services offered. Anchored in Service-Dominant Logic,
Customer Perceived Value Theory, and Signaling Theory, the researchers argue
that the service Ps (people, process, and physical evidence) influence pricing
primarily by strengthening the realized service bundle that guests experience
and evaluate. Data were gathered from 249 hotel guests using a structured
instrument. The gathered data were cleaned and analyzed using partial least
squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that
people, physical evidence, and process do not have statistically significant
direct effects on pricing strategies. However, each service P significantly
predicts services offered, and services offered show a strong positive effect on
pricing strategies, demonstrating an indirect-only (functionally full) mediation
pattern. These results indicate that in the context of a university-operated hotel,
pricing is best explained by the realized value-laden service bundle delivered to
guests rather than by individual evaluations of staff performance, procedures,
or tangible cues. The study contributes to services marketing and hospitality
pricing literature by positioning services offered as a proximal mechanism
linking the service Ps to pricing strategies, and it offers actionable guidance for
administrators to pursue value-based pricing by standardizing and
communicating clear service offerings supported by capable staff, efficient
processes, and fit-for-purpose facilities.

Narendra Modi’s Foreign Policy Towards Pakistan and Decline of its Fascist Approach

AZ Hilali — 2026-09-28

Since the Partition of British India (1947), the relations between Pakistan and
India marked by tensions and conflicts due to consequential factors including
Jammu and Kashmir which is one of the unfinished agenda of partition and
relations are defined by persistent hostility and antagonism. India perceived to
be adopted Pakistan centric foreign policy based on strategic autonomy,
prioritizes national interest with the active participation in the Global South,
and cultivates balanced partnerships with major powers. Narendra Modi since
2014 has shifted dialogue-oriented foreign policy with Hindutva nationalism
and strategic assertion, marked with belligerence, firm deterrence, and coercive
diplomacy mean doctrine of isolation of Pakistan diplomatically and frequently
retaliating offensively. Therefore, Modi policy towards Pakistan built on the
principle to isolate Pakistan, especially following the 2019 revocation of
Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under the article 370 and unilaterally
withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty, which is against the spirit of
international law. Further, under the Modi’s regime relations between Pakistan
and India have arrived in the lowest ebb. His aggressive policy failed to achieve
key objectives, include counter-terrorism, regional economic initiatives and to
minimize Pakistan’s influence. However, Modi foreign policy has collapsed to
produce the intended results, and in some cases, has led to a diplomatic decline
and Pakistan has emerged as a key diplomatic bridge in shifting global power
dynamics and its efforts has enhanced its global standing and increased its
international influence.

The Influence of Strategic Leadership on Institutional Reputation: A Perspective of Social Exchange Theory in HEIs of Pakistan

Safdar Nadeem Ch — 2026-09-28

The study is conducted in the light of Social Exchange Theory (SET) that deals
with the impact of strategic leadership on reputation of higher education
institutions (HEIs). It explores organizational trust as a mediator between
leadership practices and institutional reputation along with moderation by
perceived organizational support (POS). This is a quantitative and cross sectional
study; survey questionnaire was used for data collection from 220 faculty members
of public and private sector universities of Pakistan. Structural Equation Modeling
(SEM) is used to test the projected associations including mediation and
moderation effects. The results demonstrate that institutional reputation and
organizational trust are significantly impacted by strategic leadership. The
relationship between strategic leadership and institutional reputation is partially
mediated by organizational trust. The findings reveal that attaining favorable
reputational outcomes at HEIs require upholding trustworthy connections and
fostering pleasant institutional climates. The study emphasizes to rejuvenate
leadership development program, participative governance and faculty support
systems to build trust within the institutions.

From 'Warm' to 'Cold': Political Relations between India and Burma, 1948-1988

Tuan Binh Nguyen — 2026-09-28

India and Burma formally established diplomatic relations in 1948, a milestone
that opened a new chapter in the history of the two neighbouring states. Between
1948 and 1962, bilateral ties were generally characterised as 'warm': Jawaharlal
Nehru and U Nu, in particular, built a working partnership grounded in postcolonial solidarity, non-alignment, and a shared commitment to independent
national development. General Ne Win's military coup of 1962, however, proved
a decisive turning point, setting the relationship on a markedly different trajectory.
Over the next quarter-century, from 1962 to 1988, the earlier pattern of
engagement largely reversed. Burma's transition from civilian to military rule in
1962 inaugurated a long decline in relations with India, which grew progressively
cooler and more strained as the years passed. During this later period, bilateral
engagement was confined almost entirely to the political and diplomatic sphere,
with other dimensions of the relationship remaining marginal. This article traces
the fluctuating course of India–Burma political relations across the first four
decades of Burmese independence, examining the shift from warm friendship to a
colder, more distant footing.

Political Trust as a Predictor of Democratic Participation: The Mediating Role of Psychological Well-Being among University Students

Dr. Sidra Azim — 2026-09-28

The democratic health and pupils' involvement are positively related. This study
attempts to do so by studying the associations among internal psychological
resources (psychological well-being), institutional trust, and civic involvement, an
empirical gap. Political trust is used as a statistical predictor of democratic
participation; psychological well-being among university students is used as a
statistical mediator of the link between political trust and democratic participation.
A cross sectional survey using convenience sampling (n = 350) of undergraduate
and postgraduate students was conducted, which was quantitative in nature. The
sample size is statistically sufficient for conducting typical regression and
mediation analysis. Participants were chosen to provide diversity in academic
subject area, level and gender. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate levels of
political trust (M = 3.28, SD = 0.71) and democratic participation (M = 3.19, SD
= 0.74). Both participation and political trust were positively correlated (r = .52, p
< .01), and political trust was a significant predictor in linear regression (eta = .52,
R² = .27, p < .001). A mediation analysis supported partial mediation of this
association via psychological well-being (indirect effect = .13, 95% bias-corrected
bootstrap CI [.08, .19]). These findings suggest that institutional integrity and
psychological capacity are associated with engagement. Civic education should be
theoretically integrated with psychological support to potentially foster students'
active citizenship at universities

Do Digital Literacy Skills Mitigate Technostress? Validation and Insights from Gen Z

Fatih Cagatay BAZ — 2026-09-28

Although digital literacy and technostress are interrelated, a distinct research
gap remains in exploring their multidimensional relationship, particularly
among Generation Z students. This research investigated how various digital
literacy dimensions influence technostress. The measurement tool applied here
evaluates digital literacy across six specific sub-components. The construct
comprises the following sub-components: ethic and responsibility, general
knowledge and functional skills, daily usage, advanced production, privacy and
security, and social dimension. The research is designed with a quantitative and
correlational method. Data has been collected from 204 students at the Faculty
of Economics and Administrative Sciences of a state university in Türkiye. The
average age of this Gen Z sample was 21 (M = 20.93, SD = 5.35). The findings
suggest that there is a negative correlation between general knowledge and
functional skills and technostress. Moreover, having robust general knowledge
and functional skills serves as a significant negative predictor of technostress.
The effects of the other sub-dimensions on technostress were not significant.
Another original output is the Turkish adaptation of the technostress scale.
Theoretically, not all digital skills alleviate stress equally. Practically,
universities should prioritize enhancing students' general knowledge and
functional skills.

Practical E-Module Using Flipbook Maker as A Solution For Visual Learner Type Students

Maltha Kharisma — 2026-09-28

This study addresses the development of a cognitive-based e-module for Technical
Drawing courses in Fine Arts Education, aiming to enhance students’ procedural
and motor skills through structured, stepwise learning. Post-pandemic shifts
toward hybrid learning have highlighted the need for digital instructional materials
that integrate enactive, iconic, and symbolic representation stages as proposed by
Bruner. Employing a Research and Development approach with the ADDIE
model, the study conducted curriculum, instructional, and student analyses to
design, develop, implement, and evaluate the e-module. The sample collection
used a totally sampling technique for subjects in this study, namely 25 fine arts
education students taking the Technical Drawing course. Validation by experts
yielded an average Aiken’s V of 0.951 and ICC of 0.855, indicating high validity
and reliability. Implementation with pretest-posttest design demonstrated
significant improvement in students’ orthogonal projection skills, with mean
scores increasing from 60.22 to 77.13 and N-gain of 0.73. The paired t-test results
were t(24) = 12.00, p < .001 and Cohen's d effect size measurement value was
2.40. Findings confirm that the e-module effectively supports independent,
structured learning, bridging gaps in procedural comprehension and practical
application. The study contributes to digital pedagogy in art and vocational
education, providing a validated model for hybrid learning environments that
enhances cognitive, procedural, and psychomotor competencies.

Reconfiguring Social Capital through Community-Based Beekeeping: From Livelihood Practice to Collective Agency in Southern Thailand

Mahdee Champeephan — 2026-09-28

This study re-examines the role of social capital in rural development by
investigating how community-based beekeeping reconfigures social capital and
contributes to the emergence of collective agency in Southern Thailand.
Challenging conventional perspectives that treat social capital as a pre-existing
resource, the study conceptualizes social capital as a dynamic and relational
process that is continuously produced through everyday livelihood practices.
Drawing on Husserlian phenomenology, qualitative data were collected through
in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, non-participant observation, and
document analysis with beekeepers and community stakeholders in Na Bon
District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The analysis focuses on participants’
lived experiences and the relational processes through which economic activities
generate social connections, shared meanings, and collective action. The findings
reveal that beekeeping functions not only as a livelihood activity but also as a social
arena in which trust, reciprocity, knowledge exchange, and institutional linkages
are actively cultivated. Through these processes, social capital is reconfigured
through new forms of participation and collaboration, strengthening community
capacities and fostering collective agency. Community members gradually
develop the ability to coordinate actions, negotiate identities, and engage with
external actors such as state agencies and market institutions. At the same time, the
study highlights uneven access to networks and resources, suggesting that
community-based development may generate both inclusion and exclusion. The
study argues that participation should be understood not merely as an outcome of
social capital but as a generative mechanism through which social capital is
produced and reconfigured. By linking social capital theory, community economy
perspectives, and phenomenological inquiry, the research offers a process-oriented
framework for understanding grassroots rural development in the Global South.

Conditional Interdependence and Stable Bilateral Relations: The Limits of Trade-Led Stabilization in the Pakistan-Afghanistan Case (2015-2025)

Muhammad Salim — 2026-09-28

This paper examines the relationship between economic interdependence and
bilateral stability through Pakistan-Afghanistan trade and transit relations
during 2015-2025. A basic assumption of Liberal theory is that expansion of
trade promotes peace and cooperation by raising the cost of conflict.
However, long-term economic exchange persisted alongside recurring
political tensions and security concerns in the Pakistan-Afghanistan context.
This paper employs a qualitative approach to analyze trade patterns, policy
developments and institutional arrangements and develops the concept of
conditional interdependence to explain why trade did not produce stable
bilateral relations. It finds that structural economic factors like geographic
proximity, market demand and Afghanistan’s reliance on Pakistan’s transit
routes were instrumental in sustaining trade and transit whereas political
tensions, security incidents, mistrust, asymmetrical dependence, issues with
institutional reliability and security-driven governance limited its stabilizing
effects. The paper argues that without credible institutions and environment
of political trust and accommodation, economic interdependence alone is
insufficient to ensure peace and stability.

Transgressive Voiceover Narration and Contested Audience Complicity in The Wolf of Wall Street: A Corpus-Assisted Discourse-Reception Analysis

Abdulrazaq Alzahrani — 2026-09-28

This study examines how a transgressive voice-over narrator sustains charisma
while recounting fraud, addiction, sexual excess and legal exposure. Data comprise
199 JORDAN (V.O.) units from The Wolf of Wall Street screenplay and an IMDb
reception corpus of 2,063 user reviews. The full review corpus was searched for
recurring reception terms, and a purposive sample of 200 substantive reviews was
qualitatively coded. Using corpus-assisted interactional-pragmatic discourse
analysis, the study investigates how the narrating-I converts wrongdoing into
performance, quantification, comedy and legal procedure, while positioning an
implied audience as witness, consumer and occasional accomplice. The findings
show that the voiceover is strongly self-centred, frequently quantified and rich in
money, sex/body and drug vocabulary, but comparatively poor in explicit moral
vocabulary. The narrating-I appears reflective through ironic distance from the
acting-I, yet this split rarely becomes moral answerability. The voiceover does not
simply recount criminal ascent; it sells a socially desirable identity built around
money, masculine confidence, risk and survival. IMDb reviews further show that
viewers publicly negotiate the same tension. Many reviewers describe the film as
energetic, funny and seductive, whereas others criticize its lack of morality, victim
erasure and possible glorification of Belfort’s lifestyle. This pattern is described as
pseudo-dialogical moral self-construction. These findings extend interactional
pragmatics beyond participation management by demonstrating how voiceover
systematically organizes moral positioning and how this positioning is reproduced,
resisted and complicated in public reception discourse.

The United States' Renewed Engagement in Central Asia: Great-Power Competition after Russia's Attacks on Ukraine

Dr Mariam Tahir — 2026-09-28

The research delves into the strategic, geopolitical, and economic motivations
behind the shift in U.S policy towards Central Asia. It examines the new wave of
U.S involvement in Central Asia after 2022 and assesses its implications for
regional security, connectivity, and evolving great-power dynamics. The research
is qualitative, and employs document analysis of primary and secondary sources
published between 2014-2025. Primary sources include U.S Strategy for Central
Asia 2019-2025, the 2023 C5+1 Leaders' Joint Statement (New York Declaration),
and the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue. Secondary sources include peerreviewed academic literature and policy reports. Thematic analysis is categorized
into three interconnected subthemes of geostrategic competition, energy security,
and counter-terrorism. Findings of the research identify four strategic drivers of
U.S. re-engagement with the region: opening alternative trade routes (such as the
Middle Corridor), enforcing and monitoring sanctions against Russia, diversifying
access beyond Russia's sphere of influence, and securing access to critical mineral
resources. Concurrently, Central Asian states have sought to to pursue a ‘multivector' foreign policy, which enables them to hedge among competing alliances
while maintaining their sovereignty without displeasing neighbouring great
powers. However, in Central Asia, where there is a multitude of overlapping
interests, unilateral strategic prescriptions are unlikely to succeed. Rather, the most
viable means of promoting regional stability are sustained multilateralism,
economic engagement, and a policy of mutual accommodation within the context
of a changing multiplex orde

FWU Journal of Social Science, Vol.20 No.3

journal@sbbwu.edu.pk — 2026-09-28

Full Issue: FWU Journal of Social Science, Vol.20 No.3