Elena is a university student from a developing nation that runs under an illiberal democracy. She is a prominent and influential student leader with a strong support base among the youth.

She is currently deciding between two paths: entering formal politics through a state-sanctioned youth coalition, or joining independent civil society efforts (e.g. NGOs, grassroots organizing, and advocacy networks) that operate outside of formal state structures and often face state surveillance or restrictions.

The News Bargaining Incentive is a law that mandates digital social media platforms (e.g. Meta, X, Instagram) to compensate news publishers for the content they produce and post on the platform. This is on top of the ad revenue that verified publishers already get.

A Carbon Passport System is a policy tool designed to track and regulate the total carbon emissions produced by individuals. Under this system, every person is assigned a “carbon allowance” that represents the maximum amount of greenhouse gas emissions they are permitted within a certain period. If a person exceeds their allocated carbon cap, they are required to pay a carbon tax or face other penalties.

Small-scale mining operations involve simple mineral extraction processes and do not use explosive or heavy mining equipment. They are employed by local individuals or groups and have little government oversight.

Volun-tourism combines traditional tourism with volunteer service. Individuals travel at their own expense to visit underdeveloped communities to support the efforts of charitable or philantropic organizations. They are free to explore the locality as typical tourists for the duration of their stay.

A joint family refers to a multigenerational extended family system in which relatives cohabit within a single household.

Third-party cookies are tools that allow tracking user behavior in websites. These are purchased by advertisers and other entities, which can be used for personal/targeted ads

Online Lending Applications (OLA) allow individuals to carry out short term cash loans directly from their mobile devices. Compared to traditional bank loans, OLA loans have less stringent requirements but have higher interest rates.

Transshipment circumvention is a trade process in which products are routed to a third-party country before reaching its final destination to avoid unfavorable trade restrictions. For example, Chinese manufacturers ship their goods first through Southeast Asian countries. Here, they employ some minor repackaging or processing to label it as made in that region. These are then shipped to USA with a lower import tariff rate than if it were shipped directly from China. Receiving nations have launched anti-circumvention investigations that also involve penalizing third-party countries.

East Africa is currently experiencing escalated conflict. Ethiopia is offering diplomatic recognition to Somaliland (a breakaway region of Somalia) in exchange for a 50-year lease to a strip of land granting Ethiopia naval access. Viewing this as an existential violation of their sovereignty, Somalia

Hiya is a concept of shame or social embarrassment that regulates behavior by encouraging individuals to avoid actions that could cause loss of face for themselves or others