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Trending but Not Transforming: Generation Z’s Social Media Activism and Its Diplomatic Impact in International Relations

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Authors : Gayatri Gaikwad , Mehak Bhutani , Amina Dossa, Shalini Sarkar, Zainab Amjad

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Abstract :

Generation Z the cohort born between approximately 1997 and 2012 has emerged as the most digitally mobilised generation in political history, leveraging platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, X and Discord to organise transnational advocacy and challenge entrenched governance structures. Yet a critical paradox persists ,the generation that trends globally rarely transforms diplomatically. This paper examines the relationship between Generation Z’s social media activism and its tangible impact on international relations, arguing that while digital activism has democratised political expression and produced measurable domestic disruptions, its structural conversion into lasting diplomatic outcomes remains limited and uneven. Drawing on comparative case studies alongside empirical evidence from quantitative platform studies and theoretical frameworks of soft power, generational theory, and networked social movements, this paper identifies the conditions under which digital youth activism does and does not translate into diplomatic recalibration. It further interrogates platform architecture, disinformation dynamics, and the mobilisation-distraction paradox as structural constraints on Gen Z’s diplomatic agency. The findings suggest that while Generation Z constitutes a genuinely novel geopolitical force, the efficacy of their digital activism in reshaping international relations depends critically on context, institutional responsiveness, and the capacity to bridge online momentum with sustained offline institutional engagement.

Keywords – Gen z, Diplomacy , Social Media ,Digitalisation

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The Role of Climate Finance in Early Warning Systems for Rural and Coastal Populations: A Comparative Analysis of India, Rwanda, and Trinidad and Tobago

Authors : Ruel Fordyce, Shivangi Gedam, Ashutosh Sarkar

Abstract :

Climate change has intensified the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, disproportionately affecting rural and coastal populations in developing countries. Early Warning Systems (EWS) have emerged as critical tools for reducing disaster risks; however, their effectiveness is closely tied to the availability and allocation of climate finance. This paper examines the role of climate finance in strengthening EWS, with a primary focus on India and comparative insights from Trinidad and Tobago and Rwanda. Using a qualitative research approach based on secondary data, the study explores how financial mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund and Systematic Observations Financing Facility support EWS development. Findings indicate that while India has made significant progress in integrating EWS into national disaster management frameworks, gaps remain in financing distribution, local capacity, and last-mile communication. Rwanda demonstrates effective utilization of targeted climate finance for infrastructure upgrades, while Trinidad and Tobago highlights challenges which are typical of Small Island Developing States, including funding gaps and institutional fragmentation. The study concludes that sustained, equitable, and locally targeted climate finance is essential for enhancing resilience and protecting vulnerable populations.

Keywords

Climate finance; Early warning systems; India; Rwanda; Trinidad and Tobago; Rural
vulnerability; Coastal resilience; Disaster risk reduction

ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ACROSS CENTRAL AFRICA

Authors : Adeleye Joshua Adeyemi, Nontobeko Zakhona Andiswa Ngubane, Mushe Khomola

Abstract :

Climate change remains to cripple food security across Central Africa, where a large proportion of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture survival. This study evaluated the environmental, economic, energy and agricultural factors shaping climate resilience and food security in vulnerable communities, using secondary time-series data spanning 2000 to 2025 across 14 variables, including 2 climate resilience variables (mean annual temperature and annual rainfall). Descriptive statistics, pre- and post-2013 period comparisons, Pearson correlation analysis, detrended correlation and multiple regression analysis were applied using SPSS. Findings show that undernourishment averaged 30% over the period, with persistently low cereal yields and minimal electricity access. Rising mean annual temperature (r = -0.610, p = 0.002) was significantly correlated with declining cereal yields (r = -0.880, p < 0.001). In the multiple regression model (R² = 0.907), electricity access and GDP per capita are the two strongest independent predictors of undernourishment, while political stability remained a significant bivariate correlate. These results suggest that energy infrastructure and governance, above agricultural land use or GDP, are central to food security outcomes defining how resilience-building efforts should be concentrated. Keywords:
Climate resilience, Food security, Agricultural productivity, Governance, Policy, Central Africa.

Impact of the Smart Cities Mission on Household Cost of Living, Access to Urban Services, and Economic Well-Being: A Field Study of Selected Indian Cities

Authors : Anjana Tripathi ; Divya Natarajan ; Gautam Kumar Mishra ; Soumili Rakshit

Abstract

India’s Smart Cities Mission (SCM), launched in 2015, aims to improve urban livability through targeted investments in infrastructure, service delivery, and digital governance. However, empirical evidence on the household-level economic implications of these interventions remains limited. This study examines the impact of the Smart Cities Mission on household cost of living, access to urban services, and economic well-being in selected Indian cities using a comprehensive secondary data approach.

The analysis integrates unit-level data from the National Sample Survey (NSS) Consumer Expenditure and Housing Conditions rounds to assess changes in household consumption patterns, housing affordability, and expenditure on utilities and transportation. Employment outcomes and income-related proxies are examined using the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), while demographic characteristics, housing quality, and access to basic amenities are drawn from the Census of India. City-level information on project type, investment size, and sectoral focus is sourced from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Smart Cities Mission dashboards and official reports. A comparative framework is employed to analyze trends across Smart Cities and non-Smart Cities, as well as pre- and post-SCM implementation periods.

By triangulating multiple nationally representative datasets with administrative project data, the study evaluates whether Smart City investments have translated into measurable improvements in household welfare or have contributed to rising costs and uneven access to services. The findings aim to provide evidence-based insights for strengthening the inclusiveness, affordability, and effectiveness of urban development policies under the Smart Cities Mission.

Keywords :
Smart Cities Mission; Secondary Data Analysis; National Sample Survey; Periodic Labour Force Survey; Census of India; Urban Services Access; Household Cost of Living; Economic Well- Being; Urban Policy; Indian Cities

China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Debt Diplomacy or Development Financing? A Comparative Case Study of Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Authors : Aaditya Dewansh, Huny Thakkar, Edward Mbeleki, Mansha Arya, Zinte Kula

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The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by China in 2013, has generated sustained debate over whether it functions as a deliberate instrument of debt diplomacy aimed at strategic asset acquisition, or as a development financing mechanism responding to genuine infrastructure deficits in recipient countries. This paper addresses that question through a comparative case study of Sri Lanka and Pakistan: two BRI-engaged South Asian states that share the same creditor yet exhibit structurally distinct outcomes. Drawing on a three-tier qualitative methodology combining comparative case analysis, historical examination of high-value BRI projects, and content analysis of “debt-trap diplomacy” discourse, we argue that strategic dependency in both cases emerges not from engineered default, but through two distinct pathways: fiscal vulnerability in Sri Lanka and infrastructural entrenchment in Pakistan. In Sri Lanka, domestic governance failures and aggressive external commercial borrowing produced the conditions for the 2017 Hambantota Port concession, driven by a new government’s fiscal desperation rather than predatory Chinese design. In
Pakistan, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) generated long-term institutional lock-in through the sheer scale of energy infrastructure investment and an asymmetric bureaucratic coordination model. Across both cases, local political elites exercised agency in seeking Chinese capital to bypass Western conditionalities, and dependency emerged as a by-product of borrower governance failures and project scale rather than Chinese strategic calculation. These findings challenge the binary of debt diplomacy versus development financing, offering instead a mechanism-based account of how BRI engagement produces different forms of strategic influence in different political-economic contexts.

Keywords:
Belt and Road Initiative, debt diplomacy, strategic dependency, fiscal
vulnerability, infrastructure entrenchment

Shaping of Perceptions & Misperceptions Among Masses During War Escalations : A Comparative Analysis of Information Dynamics, Media Influence, and Perception Management

Authors : Hridoy Pran Sarma , Ashi Agrawal

Abstract :

In the modern-day world, war is not only about fighting on the battlefield but also
manipulating the belief of the opponent country using intelligence. During war escalation, people form opinions based not on their personal experience, but from news stories and government releases, along with other posts on social media. As a result, they become more susceptible to misperceptions; these are misconstrued situations employed to frighten, sow discord and garner the unthinking support of the public for the providing of military firepower. Due to an increase in the use of social media and modern means of communication, this task has become even easier as not everyone is well-equipped to measure what is happening during wars. Misconceived observations of the conflict can aggravate and harm the process of resolution. The paper seeks to ascertain the role of the government and media in distorting the public opinion during wars by analysing case studies such as Russia – Ukraine War and other major wars worldwide. Usage of management perceptions, misinformation, and the war in which does escalate.

Keywords:
Perception Management, Misinformation, War Escalation, Public Opinion, Media Literacy, Information Warfare.

Dynamics of Youth Unemployment: Case Studies on Public Policy Frameworks and the Gig Economy in India, South Africa and Nigeria A country-specific investigation into institutional frameworks and critical research gaps surrounding the digital gig economy.

Authors : Ritu Sundrani, Sneha Shukla, Aviya Chauhan, Karabo Ralethohlane

Abstract :

The country-specific investigation dives into the structural challenges of youth unemployment across India, South Africa and Nigeria. It undertakes critical analysis of policies like PMKVY, PYEI and N-Power of respective nations to highlight the implementation gaps, structural mismatches and post- program “transitional cliff”. Further, the gig economy despite offering alternate livelihood opportunities creates a regulatory safety vacuum which requires structural policy actions. The study emphasizes on reorientation of policy architecture towards demanddriven ecosystem, private sector participation and digitally inclusive policies to tackle youth unemployment problem in the Global South.

KEYWORDS :
Youth unemployment, Active Labour Market Programs (ALMPs), structural mismatches, Global South, Skill development

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Trending but Not Transforming: Generation Z’s Social Media Activism and Its Diplomatic Impact in International Relations

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The Role of Climate Finance in Early Warning Systems for Rural and Coastal Populations: A Comparative Analysis of India, Rwanda, and Trinidad and Tobago

ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ACROSS CENTRAL AFRICA

Impact of the Smart Cities Mission on Household Cost of Living, Access to Urban Services, and Economic Well-Being: A Field Study of Selected Indian Cities

China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Debt Diplomacy or Development Financing? A Comparative Case Study of Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Shaping of Perceptions & Misperceptions Among Masses During War Escalations : A Comparative Analysis of Information Dynamics, Media Influence, and Perception Management

Dynamics of Youth Unemployment: Case Studies on Public Policy Frameworks and the Gig Economy in India, South Africa and Nigeria A country-specific investigation into institutional frameworks and critical research gaps surrounding the digital gig economy.