Economics & Development debate motions

Bulgaria has a flat tax system, applying a uniform 10% income tax after meeting a minimum income threshold. A progressive tax system is a taxation model in which the tax rate increases as taxable income increases.

During crises, commercial banks and firms may struggle to obtain market credit. In such situations, central banks may use direct credit allocation mechanisms, such as providing loans to banks or, more rarely, directly to firms. These tools allow central banks to channel cheaper credit to specific sectors (e.g., by offering discounted funding to banks conditional on lending to targeted sectors, by lending directly to firms in that sector, or through sector-specific bond purchases).

The tokenization of financial markets refers to the use of digital tokens—recorded on blockchain networks—to represent ownership of financial assets such as equity, bonds, or real estate. Financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase have developed token-based payment and settlement systems.

U.S. crypto regulation is currently split between the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), with many digital assets classified case by case through enforcement, guidance, and litigation. A commodities-market model, enforced by the CFTC, focuses on exchange oversight, custody, market integrity, and anti-manipulation rules (e.g. in gold or oil markets). On the other hand, an investor-protection model, enforced by the SEC, focuses on issuer disclosures, registration, and safeguards for buyers investing in projects that promise returns (e.g. in stock markets).

The government finances clean energy in two main ways. The Loan Programs Office (LPO) directly lends government money to clean energy projects. The tax credit model, most prominently used in the IRA, instead reduces the tax liability of companies that deploy qualifying clean energy assets like solar farms or electric vehicles.

In Japanese Manga (comics), Yaoi refers to a genre of gay fiction that features young and attractive male characters, often in the "bishōnen" (beautiful boy) archetype. Usually the stories are marketed to and read by straight female audiences

A leveraged buyout (LBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company is purchased primarily using borrowed funds, with the debt typically repaid from the future cash flows or assets of the acquired firm. In 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) changed its rules to allow Indian banks to finance company takeovers, including deals that rely heavily on leveraged buyouts. Formerly, banks were restricted from directly funding such acquisitions.

A Cooperative is a business structure owned and democratically controlled by its members who use or work for the organization. Unlike corporations, voting power is equal (""one member, one vote"") regardless of investment size, and profits are returned to members based on usage rather than share ownership. This model prioritizes member welfare and local community reinvestment. A Corporation is a business structure owned and financially controlled by shareholders who invest capital in the organization. Unlike cooperatives, voting power is proportional to wealth ('one share, one vote') regardless of active participation, and profits are returned to shareholders based on ownership stake rather than usage. This model prioritizes maximizing shareholder value and return on investment.

In most countries, the sale of human organs is illegal, and organs are donated voluntarily. A market for organs would allow individuals to receive financial compensation for donating organs, such as kidneys.

The gig economy involves short-term, flexible work (e.g., ride-hailing, delivery apps)

In the fictitious survival competition Squid Game, 456 impoverished people willingly enter a closed system to participate in a number of kid-friendly games with lethal outcomes. After being fully informed that elimination in the game results in death, each participant, who has accrued enormous debt in the real world, consents to play. Each round's survivors compete until one person wins a substantial cash prize that is paid for by the deaths of every other competitor. An organised authority oversees the system, ensuring that all outcomes are solely based on in-game performance, that all players have the same starting conditions (food, shelter, and rules), and that all players are subject to the same regulations.

In the aftermath of the attack on Ukraine, sanctions were placed on Russia however due to the recent Iranian conflict and its effect on the oil supply, the US has temporarily removed sanctions from Russia. With respect to this, there have been increased concerns and speculations from geo-political stakeholders such as Western Europe, that this action could prove to be problamatic for the region.

Novo Nordisk is a multinational pharmaceutical company from Denmark which specialises in diabetes medication. It is known for discovering and manufacturing the drug behind Ozempic. Novo Nordisk represents approximately 20% of Denmark's stock market and is the most significant company in the Danish economy.

For the purposes of this debate, African Drawing Rights (ADR) is a currency unit (or currency basket) whose value is calculated as a weighted average of five African currencies: 40% South African Rand, 25% Egyptian Pound, 15% Nigerian Naira, 10% Central African CFA Franc, and 10% West African CFA Franc. The worth of 1 ADR depends on how strong or weak these five African currencies are.

Pascal's Wager argues that when we cannot be certain about God's existence, belief is the safer choice. Believing in the Christian God as the one and true only God and being right after living a life of adopting Christian values and practices may lead to eternal salvation (an infinite reward), while not believing and being wrong while pursuing other 'worldly' values and practices may lead to eternal damnation (an infinite loss).

A communication is unsolicited when it was not reasonably sought or expected. Examples include junk mail, spam, public social media posts and comments or unexpected private communications to strangers (email, direct message, letter, etc). This does not include any communications with friends or family, nor face-to-face interactions.

Open source software is released under a license allowing anybody to freely examine, alter, and distribute the software and its source code.

Many countries currently target an inflation rate of 2%.

After the waves of home foreclosures during the 2008 financial crisis, Private Equity (PE) firms bought distressed homes in bulk and turned them into rentals. Today, there are several PE firms that together own more than 2.2 million units, about 10% of the total housing stock in the U.S. alone. More recently in 2023, China implemented policy measures in a bid to attract PE funding into its housing market.

Conservation economics values ecosystem services in economic terms attaching monetary value to nature, It uses cost-benefit analysis and market-based tools like carbon pricing to incentivize environmental protection. The Yasuni ITT initiative is a key example, where Ecuador sought international funding to leave oil reserves in a bio reserve untapped at the cost of economic opportunities in exchange for conservation.

Social housing, also known as public housing, refers to subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government.

A cap-and-trade system aims to reduce pollution by setting a cap on how much pollution companies can create, based on the needs of the industry. Companies acquire permits that let them produce a certain amount of emissions. If they pollute less, they can sell their extra permits to others or back to the government for a profit/refund. If they need to pollute more, they have to buy extra permits. Mark Carney is a former Governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, former financial policy advisor to the liberal party, he is largely expected to win the ongoing Liberal leadership race. He has been a vocal supporter of the liberal Carbon Tax in the past.

In recent years, a small number of institutional investor (e.g. big asset managing firms such as BlackRock and Vanguard) have accumulated large amounts of stocks in thousands of publicly traded companies through index funds. An index fund aims to copy the performance of a specific stock market index (like the S&P 500) by buying all (or most) of the stocks in that index. These firms, acting to represent many individual investors, often exercise voting rights on behalf of those investors, shaping corporate policy on issues ranging from corporate management to social responsibilities.

Emotional detachment in professional contexts (such as healthcare, law, and justice) refers to an expectation that workers maintain neutrality and distance from the emotional aspects of their work. For example, a doctor may avoid forming personal attachments with patients, or a judge may avoid allowing empathy to influence sentencing.

Large-scale philanthropy by billionaires refers to major charitable initiatives funded by wealthy individuals, often involving billions of dollars. Examples include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – funding global health, education, and development projects, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to fund education, science, and policy initiatives.

A financial sustainability test is a tool or assessment used to evaluate whether a project, organization, or policy can maintain its financial operations over the long term.The test includes but not limited to minimum level of annual nett revenue, continuous operations plan for 2 years, minimum level of ratio of income to operational cost, etc.

Rainbow capitalism is the inclusion of LGBTQ+ related products, designs, brands, and sponsorships by large corporations.

The global median age is expected to rise from 24 in 1950 to 29 in 2010 and to 36 in 2050. Increased longevity and decreasing fertility (especially in developed countries) are the primary drivers of population aging. For the purposes of this debate "silver economy" refers to policies to increase the economical participation of older populations (above 50 years of age) by working and consuming.

Medical treatments that aim to extend female fertility focus on preserving or prolonging a woman's ability to conceive as she ages. These include procedures such as egg freezing, ovarian tissue preservation, and hormonal therapies that delay menopause or improve egg quality. Research in this field explores areas like stem cell therapy, gene editing, and anti-aging drugs for reproductive organs to slow down or reverse the decline in fertility associated with age. Access to these treatments is often limited by high costs and uneven availability across healthcare systems.

Neobanks (e.g., ALAT, Umba, Bettr, Chipper Cash, etc) are financial institutions that offer banking services entirely online. Neobanks usually have no physical branches and are legally classified as fintech entitites rather than licensed banks.

Pro capitalism for purposes of the debate refers to appealing to companies for green policies. This appealing looks like providing corporations with suggestions on how to go green i.e suggesting that they make biodegradable products, suggestions around how to get less greenhouse gas emissions etc.

A Job Displacement Tax (JDT) is a tax imposed on corporations that replace human employees with AI-driven tools, automation, or robotics.

"Leaning against the wind" is a policy employed by some central banks to explicitly target financial stability (e.g., avoiding asset price bubbles and credit booms) by setting higher interest rates during periods of economic growth. This is distinct from the philosophy of most Western central banks, which exclusively consider inflation and unemployment (e.g., by maintaining a target inflation rate).

Keynesian economics is a macroeconomic theory that emphasises the importance of strong government intervention (e.g. deficit spending, funding large infastructure projects, quantitative easing/tightening) to promote sustained growth. Hayekian economics is a macroeconomic theory that emphasises the importance of limited government intervention (e.g. minimising annual deficits, free markets, constant monetary policy) to promote sustained growth.

The largest three chocolate traders are Barry Callebaut, Cargill, and Olam International. They control a majority of the cocoa market, and are vertically integrated (i.e. they are involved in the sourcing, processing and distribution of cocoa products).

Formal Chinese banks, most of which are state owned, operate under heavy regulations. As a result, a 'shadow banking' sector worth approximately US$3 trillion has emerged. 'Shadow banks' include trusts, asset managers and microfinance firms. These shadow banks partake in simple banking activities without formal banking licences (e.g. providing loans distinct from the regulated loans given by formal Chinese banks). For the purposes of this debate, forcing shadow banks to obtain a formal banking licence would require them to obtain the same licence as the formal Chinese banks.

China is facing economic issues including: deflation, a foreign investment deficit, high youth unemployment, a declining real estate sector, and a reduction in domestic consumption

Private equity (PE) firms invest in businesses that are not publicly listed on a stock exchange, acquiring stakes in these companies with the goal of selling them for a profit in the future. In the past few years, Western PE firms have been increasingly active in Asia. In 2022, Blackstone announced plans to allocate more than 50 billion USD to Asian markets over the next decade, KKR increased its total stake in Vietnamese conglomerate Masan Group to 750 million dollars, and the American PE firm Carlyle Group acquired a controlling share worth 1 billion dollars in Rigaku, a Japanese scientific instruments maker.

Reserve currencies are often used as a transaction medium for international trade, held by governments in a country's reserves, and used as the currency for loans. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) are an international reserve currency created by the IMF. For the purpose of the debate, they are able to be held by private entities and individuals. The make up of the currencies in the basket is updated every 5 years. In 1974, the value of the SDR currency was based on the following basket: USD: United States Dollar (32.6%) DEM: Deutsche Mark (10.2%) GBP: British Pound Sterling (9.7%) FRF: French Franc (7.1%) ITL: Italian Lira (6.6%) JPY: Japanese Yen (6.0%) CAD: Canadian Dollar (5.9%) NLG: Dutch Guilder (4.3%) BEF: Belgian Franc (3.5%) SAR: Saudi Riyal (3.0%) ESP: Spanish Peseta (2.1%) AUD: Australian Dollar (2.1%) SEK: Swedish Krona (2.1%) IRR: Iranian Rial (2.0%) NOK: Norwegian Krone (1.5%) ATS: Austrian Schilling (1.3%)

A gig economy platform is a platform which connects those looking for short term 'gig' work to those looking to hire people to perform that work. Examples include Uber, Airtasker and Fiver. In 2018, the workforce board of Long Beach, California launched a gig economy platform of its own. The platform covered both public sector gig work (for instance in education and healthcare) and private sector gig work (for instance in childcare and events). Workers are given 'digital badges' reflecting their skills and qualifications to help match them with employers. There are similar platforms planned for Portland, Oakland, Louiseville and Southern Indiana.

Industrial Policy is defined as the strategic effort by the state to encourage economic transformation by specifically advantaging what it deems to be high- potential sectors. Industrial Policy fell out of favor in the 1990s after the Washington Consensus, under which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) opposed tactics by states to control their own economic trajectory rather than letting market forces decide. Industrial Policy has seen a recent revival through policies like the US Inflation Reduction Act, the EU Chips Act, and Made in China Act 2025.

Primary domestic caregivers are individuals who are in charge of household management, for example, shopping for groceries, cooking for the family and childcare.

A carbon footprint is how much carbon something uses. A bigger footprint uses more carbon and is worse for the environment.

Climate change is the long-term warming of Earth caused by human activities, like burning fossil fuels and deforestation, which release greenhouse gases that trap heat. Addressing climate change can impact economic growth by requiring costly changes to energy systems, stricter regulations on factories, or reduced use of cheap but polluting resources.

A sin tax is a tax on specific goods and services due to their ability, or perception, to be harmful or costly to society. Some items that often have a sin tax include tobacco products, alcohol, and gambling.

Degrowth is an economic theory that advocates for a deliberate reduction in economic activity and resource consumption. It challenges the conventional wisdom that perpetual economic growth is essential for human well-being and societal progress.

Ecosystem Restoration Currency is a currency system that rewards individuals and communities for participating in ecosystem restoration projects, such as tree planting, wetland restoration, or biodiversity conservation. Participants can earn ""eco-credits"" that can be traded for goods, services, or tax incentives.

A time banking system where individuals can exchange hours of service instead of currency. For example, one hour of volunteering could earn an hour of help from someone else in the community i.e. you could bypass a queue in the hospital for the same.

abcu

The Pacific Alliance (Spanish: Alianza del Pacífico) is a Latin American trade bloc, formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

"The gig economy" is a term used to describe a labor market where freelance or short-term contracts are more common than permanent positions. Independent contractors are those who work in the gig economy. They perform services for another party in accordance with the conditions mentioned in a verbal or written agreement. In contrast to an employee, an independent contractor works for an employer on an as-needed basis rather than on a regular basis. Since they typically receive freelance compensation, independent contractors are considered "self employed."

'Short squeeze' occurs when a security has a significant amount of short sellers, meaning lots of investors are betting on its price falling. When investors see the price going up, they start to purchase back the stocks, which makes the price jump higher unexpectedly. An institutional investor trades large volumes of securities on behalf of an individual or shareholder. A retail investor is an individual who invests their own capital, typically at lower frequencies and volumes.

For the purposes of this debate, life-extending treatment refers to medical interventions that prolong the duration of life without curing the underlying medical conditions. Examples include dialysis, mechanical ventilation, and clinically assisted nutrition.

Primary domestic caregivers are individuals who are in charge of household management, for example, shopping for groceries, cooking for the family and childcare.

On July 26, 2023, the democratically elected government of Niger was toppled by a military coup headed by General Tchiani. In response, the Economic Community of West African States threatened to militarily intervene in the country if the coup did not reinstate the democratic government by August 6th. The deadline has since passed, yet the coup shows no signs of returning power to the democratic government.

financial aid is any form of educational funding that is given to students (e.g. subsidies, scholarships, stipends)

Confidence crises occur in economies when there is a general belief that the economy is doing poorly. This can often prompt rapid selling of shares, or bank runs when people seek to withdraw their money from banks because they fear that they could collapse. This can form a feedback loop that worsens the crisis by tanking the stock market or causing a credit crisis.

Japan is facing an aging population crisis, characterized by a rapidly increasing proportion of elderly citizens, a declining irth rate, and a shrinking workforce. This demographic shift is a result of several factors, including increasing life expectancy and low fertility rates.

Climate migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another due to the impacts of climate change. It occurs when individuals or communities are forced to leave their homes or regions because of environmental factors such as rising sea levels, droughts, extreme weather events, or other climate-related conditions that make their current living conditions unsafe or unsustainable.

Population ageing refers to an increase in a mean and median age of a country's population caused by an increase in life expectancy and a reduction in birth rates. As a result an increasingly larger portion of the country's population is comprised of the elderly, while the proportion of children and young adults are declining.

For the purposes of this debate, "fiscal central banking" refers to an economic system that grants central banks the mandate to control circulation of money in the economy through fiscal policy in addition to monetary policy. Under this system central banks can define limitations for the size of the budget, but not its distribution. i.e. they can decide rates for various taxes and limit or increase overall government spending, but can't decide what the money is spent on

A: In 2022, countries in Latin America have engaged in significant subsidies of fossil fuels in response to inflation. For example, substantial subsidies have been implemented in Ecuador (worth 0.8% of GDP) and Mexico (worth 1% of GDP) and Peru has cut taxes on fuel (equal to around 0.9% of GDP).

A: Manne's Program in Economics for Federal Judges was a program offering economics instruction to federal judges so that they could incorporate economic reasoning into their judgements. This looks like understanding cost-benefit analyses in understanding incentives for committing crime and Coase's Theorem for the allocation of property rights. It was a 2-3 week course and often included lectures from world famous economists like Milton Friedman. Both conservative and liberal judges attended this program with notable attendees being Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas.

The informal economy is the part of any economy that is not taxed or monitored by any form of government. The informal economy provides opportunities for employment and revenue generation bypassing formal requirements, e.g. setting up a shop without a business registration/licence, private bus owners hiring bus drivers without a formal employment contract, etc. However, it does not guarantee any social benefits such as health insurance or job security. Although it occurs in all countries, the informal sector is particularly pertinent in the Global South, making up a substantial portion of these economies.

In economics, inflation is a general increase in the prices of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduction in the purchasing power of money.

Currently renewable energy sources cost more per unit of energy than non-renewable sources of energy. The two prices can only be matched through a tax imposed on non-renewable sources such that it rises up to match renewable energy sources.

An unhealthy lifestyle is a way of living that results in long term harms to one's health. E.g smoking, eatings fast food, and drinking excessive volumes of alcohol.

A vocational school is an education institution focused on education and training on technical skills required to complete the tasks of a particular and specific job.

NARCL or the bad bank will take over loans worth almost ₹2 lakh crore from the books of commercial banks at a mutually agreed price. The NARCL will pay 15% of the price of these loans upfront in cash to banks and then issue security receipts in lieu of the remaining amount. The NARCL will then try to resolve these bad loans in a time-bound manner with help from the India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL). In case the IDRCL is unable to sell these bad loans at a satisfactory price to make good on the security receipts, the Centre will step in and fund the gap, but within a budget limit of ₹30,600 crore.

Right to burn" is being championed by developing nations at the CoP26 as their onus to continue to burn fossil fuels to achieve greater development. It is derived from the idea of common but differentiated responsibility between developed and developing nations, used as a justification for failure to meet environmental goals, net-zero declarations etc.

Professionalisation of not-for-profit organizations refers to a shift toward more structured ways of working, bureaucratic processes and contractual donations. Some argue that this takes away from the voluntary nature of the sector, despite its supposed efficiency.

person's data would be equivalent to their "money." It would reside in an account where it would be controlled, managed, exchanged and accounted for just like personal. banking services operate today. These services would be interoperable so that the data could be exchanged with other institutions and individuals globally. As an essential requirement, the services would operate over a technical and legal infrastructure that is highly trusted. Maintaining confidence in the integrity, confidentiality, transparency and security of the entire system would require high levels of monitoring

A bailout is when a government provides capital to a company in crisis. These actions help to prevent the consequences of that business's potential downfall which may include bankruptcy and default on its financial obligations.

Environmental protection policies in areas ranging from rural California (old growth forests) to rural China (steppe and grasslands) substantially subsidize residents per acre of unused land.

Recent research has found that coal can be processed in ways that could recapture and offset emissions

The money in pensions fund can be used to buy treasury bonds or securities issued by the government to finance the construction of foundational servies such as drainage facilites, functional roads and bridges, energy systems etc.

Public-private partnerships involve collaboration between a government agency and a private-sector company that can be used to finance, build, and operate projects, such as public transportation networks, parks, and convention centers. Public-private partnerships often involve concessions of tax or other operating revenue, protection from liability, or partial ownership rights over nominally public services and property to private sector, for-profit entities.

Buy-now-pay-later companies partner with retailers to offer shoppers the option of paying for their purchases in interest-free instalments, while charging late fees for missed payments. Market surveys suggest their increasing popularity; for example, some claim that around half of all US consumers have used such a service.

"Corporate neutrality" refers to a set of policies implemented at several tech firms, most notably Coinbase and Basecamp, that ban political discourse and the championing of social issues by employees on internal workplace tools. These policies also prohibit workplace discussions related to politics and society outside the purview of the company's mission.

The average Filipino employee works 43.2 hours per week, often more than 8 hours per day. This is significantly longer than the global average.

A direct benefit transfer is an unconditional cash transfer from the government to the bank accounts of farmers. Farm subsidies refer to financial aid tied to the purchase of specific inputs for farmers (e.g., a fertilizer subsidy, which you can only use to buy fertilizer, or free electricity to farmers). These are often conditional.

Evergrande Real Estate currently owns more than 1,300 projects in more than 280 cities across China. The Evergrande Group has expanded aggressively to become one of China's biggest companies by borrowing more than $300bn. They invested into a number of different industries ranging from wealth management to electric cars to the purchase of the country's biggest football teams, Guangzhou FC. Several factors have seen Evergrande's share price tumble by around 80% this year. Its bonds have also been downgraded by global credit ratings agencies and the company is at risk of bankrupcy.

Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget.

A relation of cruel optimism exists when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing. Lauren Berlant describes the cruel optimism that has prevailed since the 1980s -- most starkly in the 21st century of late stage capitalism -- as the social-democratic promise of the postwar period in the United States and Europe has retracted. People have remained attached to unachievable fantasies of the good life—with its promises of upward mobility, job security, political and social equality, and durable intimacy—despite evidence that liberal-capitalist societies can no longer be counted on to provide opportunities for individuals to make their lives "add up to something."

"Carbon pricing" is a market-based strategy for lowering global warming emissions. The aim is to put a price on carbon emissions—an actual monetary value—so that the costs of climate impacts and the opportunities for low-carbon energy options are better reflected in our production and consumption choices. There are two widely supported strategies for carbon pricing. A carbon tax directly imposes a (progressive) tax on each unit of greenhouse gas emissions - directly establishing a price for carbon consumed - and gives firms (and households, depending on the scope) an incentive to reduce pollution whenever doing so would cost less than paying the tax. A cap-and-trade model, on the other hand, sets a maximum level of pollution - a cap - and distributes emissions permits among firms that produce emissions. Companies must have a permit to cover each unit of pollution they produce. They can obtain these permits either through an initial allocation or State led auction, as well as trade them on secondary markets, creating a carbon price. Whilst the maximum pollution quantity is set in advance, the trading price of permits fluctuates, becoming more expensive when demand is high relative to supply (for example when the economy is growing) and cheaper when demand is lower (for example in a recession). A price on pollution is therefore created as a result of setting a ceiling on the overall quantity of emissions.

The majority of countries with multiple telecom companies use a system called "spectrum licensing", in which they sell or auction off exclusive rights to companies to use certain wavelengths of electromagnetic spectrum. For example, in the US, AT&T and Verizon "own" almost the entirety of the spectrum needed to provide 5G service in New York. Many telecom companies buy up massive swaths of spectrum, although not all of it ends up actually being used by their products and services.

The SEC is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Throughout 2020, and 2021 to date, Elon Musk Tweeted regularly about Bitcoin and its prospects. The price of Bitcoin often moved significantly in the immediate aftermath of these Tweets. In early 2021, Tesla converted about 8% of its cash reserves into Bitcoin; some of which they sold off in Quarter 1.

Megacities are typically cities with more than 10 million inhabitants, such as Tokyo and Lagos.

Over the last year, Chinese policymakers have pushed to both heavily regulate industry and make more efforts towards "common prosperity". This has included heavily regulating the tech industry and publicly shaming and punitively regulating several billionaires who have gained their wealth through the free market. For example, after Jack Ma made a controversial speech shaming the Chinese financial system Xi Jinping pushed for the resignation of top Ant Group executives and condemned his character, among other things.

You are a freelance writer who has garnered a small following through social media. Previously, you were able to make enough money with your small audience to make ends meet; however, you recently had a child, and your current income is no longer enough. You have been considering taking an office job, where you will make more money and probably be reasonably successful, but you expect you will find the work tedious. Recently, a major publisher approached you and offered to sign you, giving you significantly more promotion and, potentially, a much larger audience. However, as a condition of signing you, they have demanded significant creative control over your writing and your characters, and you worry you will not like what the publisher asks of you

The term "Common prosperity" was first mentioned in the 1950s by Mao Zedong, founding leader of what was then an impoverished country. It was not used as frequently under Deng Xiaoping, who shifted the focus to developing an economy that would allow "some people to get rich first." Xi Jin Ping made it a central part of his 2017 speech at the party congress to mark the start of his second term, and the messaging really took off in 2021. The slogan has since been adopted by state agencies and private companies as a way to signal their allegiance to this Communist Party priority. The push for common prosperity has encompassed policies ranging from curbing tax evasion and limits on the hours that tech sector employees can work to bans on for-profit tutoring in core school subjects and strict limits on the time minors can spend playing video games.

For the purpose of this debate, digital currencies refer to a virtual format of a fiat currency for a particular nation or region. It is an electronic record or digital token of the official currency and is issued and regulated by its monetary authority, e.g., Digital Yuan in China and Digital Rupee in India.

Recently, Xi Jinping has taken several policy decisions aimed at curbing China's consumer tech giants (like Tencent and Alibaba), by bifurcating tech into what he calls ""need to have"" technologies (comprising infrastructure and raw materials) and ""nice to have"" technologies (consumer tech, like social media, e-commerce companies, etc). This comes in the wake of a global semiconductor shortage, which exposed global reliance on American chip-manufacturers

The Chongqing model of economic development, used by Bo Xilai, involves a focus on the promotion of large state-owned enterprises for mass welfare projects and redistribution. The Guangdong model of economic development, currently used by Xi Jinping's faction, focuses on the development of flourishing private enterprise and the presence of strong trade unions to curb the power of private business with very little focus on redistribution.

A traditional IPO (Initial Public Offering) works when a private corporation offers shares to the public to raise capital. The process includes a "roadshow" where the company meets investors, and management undergoes intensive discussions with regulators through investment banks which can take 12-18 months. On the other hand, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company Initial Public Offering (SPAC IPO) works by already having a company go public with the intent to acquire a private company. The process takes 3-6 months on average by raising capital through 'shell companies' which then combine with a private company to take that company public. Startups like WeWork & Grab plan to go public through SPAC IPOs as part of a general trend in 2020 of startups favoring SPAC IPOs over traditional IPOs

An economic migrant is someone who emigrates from one region to another, including crossing international borders seeking an improved standard of living, because the conditions or job opportunities in the migrant's own region are insufficient

"Decentralise" means to transfer control to local authorities rather than giving control to a central government.

Capital requirements are regulatory standards for banks that determine the minimum level of liquid capital (easily sold assets) they must keep on hand in ratio to their overall holdings.

You have not attended culinary programs and lack professional experience. You decide to follow your passion and talent by beginning a culinary career.

You are a hyper-intelligent telepathic gorilla named Grodd, able to control the minds of others (humans and animals). You live with other gorillas in Gorilla City - which is a sophisticated city - as their leader. The other gorillas are also hyper-intelligent, but not telepathic. Human explorers discover gorilla city, and kill a dozen gorillas before leaving.

ising in China, the ""lying flat"" movement groups young people who reject the social norm of seeking to increase their productivity and professional success in favor of ""lying flat"" and doing as little as possible.

Conditional cash transfer programmes (CCT) give money to the poor in return for fulfilling specific behavioural conditions such as children's school attendance and vaccination. They have most notably been used in Brazil (Bolsa Familia), Bangladesh, Chile (Chile Solidario), and Mexico (Oportunidades).

You are a racial minority female fresh out of college who carry liberal values of being strong and independent. Due to the pandemic, you cannot find a job and are worried about your financial stability. Fortunately, you come from a middle-income family and have enough savings to get by for a few more months. A rich middle-aged man, who is successful in the industry you want to work in, has taken an interest in you and is willing to pay for your expenses in exchange for a romantic relationship.