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RIR-2066 · Logged 13 July 2026

Epistemic Justice and the Informal Oil Economy: Re-evaluating Artisanal Refineries in the Niger Delta

This study examines the framing of informal artisanal oil refining in Nigeria, arguing for a shift toward epistemic justice that acknowledges local knowledge and socio-economic realities.

Open to researchQuality 82/100Prior-standard auditP4 provenance
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In plain words

Small informal oil refineries operate in Nigeria's Niger Delta. This study asks how they could be described in a fairer way that respects local knowledge and living conditions, which could guide policy change in regions rich in natural resources.

Primary research question

How can the framing of artisanal oil refining in the Niger Delta be reconstructed to incorporate epistemic justice?

Knowledge gap

What remains worth asking

Existing policy frameworks may inadequately address the complex socio-political legitimacy of informal oil economies.

Potential contribution

Why it may matter

Provides a critical lens for policy reform in resource-rich regions facing informal economic activity.

Academic placement

Academic fields and topic tags

5.2Economics and business
Political ScienceDevelopment StudiesSociology

Study frame: Niger Delta artisanal oil sector. · Method signals: Discourse Analysis, Qualitative Case Study

Possible study pathways

One question, different levels

Research master’s

Investigating the intersection of informal labor and resource governance.

Doctoral

Developing a theoretical framework for epistemic justice in informal extractive industries.

originality
Moderate
methodology
Moderate
Data access
Moderate
ethics
Advanced

Quality and audit

82/100 quality

Safeguard-based audit was not recorded under the prior standard.

  • Focuses on marginalized perspectives.
  • Requires careful ethical consideration of illegal activities.
  • Open-access scholarly source and DOI metadata verified
Current safeguards were not recorded

This older record can be checked against the current standard on request. It changes only if every academic gate and independent safeguard passes.

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Provenance

Research Idea curation

  • DOI and bibliographic metadata independently resolved
  • Open-access status verified
  • The research direction is transparently marked as AI-inferred

The public contributor code contains no name or account email.

APA 7 source

Ayodele, A. A. (2025). The framing of the informal oil economy in Nigeria: toward epistemic justice of the illegal artisanal oil refineries in the Niger Delta. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), Article 1382. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05718-7

Paper abstract and discussion context; AI-inferred direction

This is an AI-inferred direction. The source authors did not state it as a recommendation.

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