Why is the 118th Congress so old?
As the US Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell freezes mid-question for a second time in weeks during a press conference, questions come to mind about the age, cognitive strength, and capabilities of America’s 118th Congress. There have been repeated calls and pressure building for McConnell to resign, particularly as his apparent ill-health has worsened.
The United States Congress, based in the US Capitol of Washington D.C. acts as the legislature of the federal government. It consists of both the lower body - the House of Representatives and an upper body, the Senate. As the members of the 118th Congress took office in January 2023, we examine its members’ age demographics and those expected to represent the American people. Notwithstanding, Joe Biden, 80, the oldest person to ever hold the White House.
The New Zealand General 2023 Election 101 – We read all the policy BS so you don’t have to
The NZ Election 101 – We read all the policy BS so you don’t have to. Understanding what each party stands for and how you may vote is difficult, this pros and cons list helps to make those informed decisions.
Cyber Security - Now a Matter of Life or Death
No longer just simply a matter of monetary, reputational, and litigious ramifications, cyber-attacks have demonstrated their ability to claim human lives, catapulting cyber security’s importance to center stage.
5 Interesting Economic Indicators You Can Use to Determine Economic Health….
Here, we detail 5 interesting economic indicators that mostly are informed by consumptive spending habits but when analyzed might tell us a little bit more about our country’s economic health.
China is a force to be reckoned with but is this great growth sustainable?
China has experienced approximately 10% GDP growth per annum. However, such accelerated economic growth can no longer be sustained. How can China promote economic growth going forward?
Welfare benefits, a controversial subject: Do they slow down a country’s economic growth?
The assumption that welfare handed out by the Government will undermine economic growth is unfounded but questions of economic sustainability may be a problem in future.
Pre-pandemic, the world enjoyed the lowest prevalence of extreme poverty ever recorded…
The World Bank’s recent data showing the proportion of the global population living in extreme poverty declined from 36% in 1990 to 9.2% in 2017… is this reliable data and is this actually the case?
How convincing is the evidence for the effectiveness of drone strikes?
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have become a key policy tool of the United States (US) to target and commit attacks on various insurgent or terrorist organisations, to ultimately subdue the threat of terrorism. This has been particularly prevalent in regions across the Middle East, specifically in Afghanistan and Pakistan and later expanding into Somalia and Yemen (Jaeger & Siddique 2018, p. 667). The perceived success of this tool has caused a significant rise in the use of drone attacks, particularly under the Obama administration, as the US Central Intelligence Agency and its military employ it as its main ‘lawful’ global policy tool. So… is that justified?
I’m sure you have heard it before… is the United States of America still considered a global hegemon?
Clarks (2009, p. 24) claim eleven years ago that “the present state of the ‘hegemony debate’ is, to say the least, confusing”, so many years on, still stands as an accurate statement. Perhaps, even more so, as various signs allude to a crisis and at the very least a shift in the international order.
Underconsumption and what it can teach us about household’s financial health.
The richest 1 per cent of the global population is increasingly harbouring a large proportion of wealth, we expect that global underconsumption may soon become a global crisis.
Greening the Economy - What this might look like using Vietnam as an example
Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, are the main energy source for Vietnam and are viewed as essential for long-term economic growth. It is only bolstering the growing climate change statistics, therefore it is recommended that Vietnam propagate its green sector and ameliorate women’s human development in order to sustain both economic and climate change challenges.
How your pension could be at risk…
Following the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP faced a £40 billion reduction in market value, as the corporation was a core holding of most British pension funds; this resulted in billions of pounds wiped from British pensioners’ savings.
Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) - Everything you need to know
Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is currently having a moment and has been characterized as the “big new left economic idea.” We tell you everything you need to know about it.