Negative Social Habits and Customs Impact on Afghanistan's Economic Development: Perspectives of Professors at Emirate Universities

Abstract

This applied research described and explained the impact of undesirable social habits and practices on economic development in Afghanistan, using a survey approach based on the perspectives of faculty members at Emirate universities. The study's theoretical foundations and framework are grounded in the sociology of development and Islamic economics. The main variables examined were laziness, a weak work ethic, time wastage, consumerism, and materialism. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and stepwise regression. The descriptive findings indicate that the prevalence of undesirable social habits and practices is relatively high, while respondents assessed the state of economic development as low. The correlation results showed that all independent variables had negative and statistically significant relationships with economic development. The regression results further indicated that consumerism, materialism, and time wastage collectively explained approximately 38% of the variance in economic development, with consumerism having the strongest negative effect. The findings confirm that undesirable social habits and practices are important impediments to economic development in Afghanistan, and that reforming them can play a fundamental role in improving the development process.