Title: Next Gen Social Sciences Frequency: Bi-annually ISSN: 3139-6070 (Online) Chief Editor: Dr. Ajay Kumar Prusty Starting Year: 2026 Subject: Social Sciences Language: English Publication Format: Online Publishing Model: Open Access Publisher: Next Gen Academic Services
Urbanisation, Housing Affordability, and Social Well-being: A Comparative Urban Study
The Global Human Settlement System is undergoing urbanisation, which affects economic and social life. The urban population (45 % of the world's 8.2 billion people) more than doubled from 1950 to 2025. The rapid growth in cities has led to a vibrant economy but also to serious issues in housing affordability, higher spatial inequality and socio-economic segregation, and worsening social well-being. This study examines the relationship between urbanisation, housing affordability, and social well-being through a comparative analysis of five countries and their cities (the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Mexico, and Kenya) from 2010 to 2025. This article draws on theories of urbanisation, housing markets and social well-being, as well as recent literature, and uses panel data from the UN-Habitat, World Bank, OECD and national sources to create comparable indicators of housing affordability and quality of life. The findings show that housing affordability has declined in a variety of settings through a combination of increasing incomes, yet increasing price to income ratios. There is a positive correlation between housing costs and lower levels of other quality-of-life indices and socioeconomic inequality; the magnitude of the impacts depends on the region, institutional structure, and policy environment. The paper outlines the political economy of urban development and demonstrates the impact of financialisation, deregulation and privatisation of housing on affordability issues. It finds that inclusive planning, social housing provision, rent regulation and cooperative models can help to address affordability crises and improve social well-being.
Copyright (c) 2026 Next Gen Social Sciences
Global Migration Dynamics and Identity Formation in Transnational Societies
International migration has become one of the most significant demographic phenomena of the twenty-first century. In 2024, the population living outside of their place of birth was about 304 million, an increase from 140 million in 1990, 28.8% of the world's population. At the same time, forced displacement hit a new all-time high, at 123.2 million people, a result of conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan. In this context, migrants are now making claims to multiple, negotiated identities as they mix cultural traditions, languages, and socioeconomic practices in transnational social spaces, which they then negotiate within state policy regimes, labour markets, and global inequalities. This research uses a mixed-method designs approach and analyzes the datasets on migration from various sources, such as the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the World Bank, in addition to qualitative case studies of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, Syrian refugees in Germany, South Asian migrants in Saudi Arabia, and transnational youth in Mexico–United States contexts. The quantitative results show a significant regional variation in migration stocks, gender and refugee distribution. The results show that identity formation is very context-dependent: inclusive policies promote hybrid identities and socioeconomic contributions, while exclusive policies create precarious statuses of permanent and impermanent that limit belonging.
Climate Vulnerability, Community Resilience, and Social Justice: A Multilevel Analysis
Climate change is an environmental, socio-economic and ethical issue that exacerbates inequality in terms of income, gender, ethnicity and geography. People's vulnerability to climate hazards depends on exposure, adaptive capacity, and institutional support. This paper presents a mixed-methods approach to a multilevel analysis of climate vulnerability, social justice, and climate resilience, incorporating global vulnerability indices, community-based case studies, and qualitative literature. The data presented by the IPCC, the World Bank, the UNDP and ND-GAIN are combined with field cases from Bangladesh, Nicaragua and Australia. The results show that almost 3.3–3.6 billion people are in very climate-vulnerable situations, and that mortality rates from floods, droughts, and storms in vulnerable regions are 15 times higher than in low-risk regions. SIDST contributes just 0.2% of the global emissions but experiences disproportionate damage. Another 158 million women and girls will also be pushed into poverty by 2050 due to climate change. Community-based adaptation, such as Anticipatory Evacuation, Agro-ecological learning and Urban heat resilience programs, have been shown to have an important impact on climate risks and social resilience in case studies.
Technical Efficiency of Improved and Local Varieties of Lentil (Lens Culinaris L.) Used by Farmers
This study measured the technical efficiency of improved and local lentil varieties. The principal focus of the research was a comparative study of improved and local lentil varieties, with technical efficiency levels measured. For this study, the Bundi district of Rajasthan was selected purposively. A multistage sampling method was used to select the respondents. A total of 120 farmers were selected as the study's sample respondents. The result shows that the majority of the improved variety growers (48.33 per cent) were concentrated between 0.60 and 0.70. While in the case of the existing variety growers, they were (40.83 per cent) followed by 29.16 per cent and 36.66per cent of improved and local variety growers between technical efficiency categories 0.50-0.60, respectively, and 19.16 per cent of improved and 12.50 per cent of local variety growers had the highest level of technical efficiency between 0.70-0.80. This suggests that, in terms of technology, farms in the enhanced group are more productive than those in the local seed variety system.
Marketing Behaviour and Constraint Prioritisation among Foxnut Growers in Bihar
Foxnut or makhana (Euryale ferox Salisb) is an important aquatic crop linked with wetland-based livelihoods, rural employment and emerging health-food markets in Bihar. The present study analysed marketing behaviour and identified the major constraints faced by foxnut growers in three major makhana-producing districts of Bihar: Madhubani, Saharsa, and Purnia. A descriptive and exploratory research design was adopted. Primary data were collected from 120 growers in six villages using a structured interview schedule. The data were analysed using frequency and percentage, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and Rank-Based Quotient (RBQ) analysis. Results revealed that product quality was the most important selling consideration for 38% of respondents, while word of mouth (42%) and social media (41%) were the dominant buyer-contact methods. Most growers sold through local vendors (46%) or professional agents/traders (38%), and the average reported selling price was Rs. 982.5 per kg. Regression results showed that education, marital status, family income, pond type and landholding significantly influenced marketing behaviour, with the model explaining 65.3% of the adjusted variation. RBQ analysis identified a lack of credit facility, a lack of pond/land ownership and a lack of scientific knowledge as the top constraints. The study recommends FPO-based aggregation, credit linkage, market intelligence, scientific training and localised processing infrastructure to improve farmer bargaining power and market participation.