Peace
Peace can be considered as having two types; negative peace and positive peace. Negative peace or "non war" is when nations resolve conflict without military force, i.e. active violence. Positive peace is a more comprehensive definition of peace. It goes beyond the peace that is simply a lack of active violence, but also a lack of structural violence, meaning a just social framework where self-realization and self-determination can be realized.
Planetary Contract
The institutional design that the Global Marshall Plan Initiative strives for should form the basis for a "planetary contract" between all parts of the world. The title is therefore "Global Marshall Plan/Planetary Contract." It is then emphasized that long-term interests of the world are restored through the plan, and that the contractual partners are treated fairly.
Poverty Reduction
The reduction of poverty requires significantly more than just the direct abatement of poverty itself. The downward spiral that causes poverty must be broken, such that the economic cycle of revenue and capital spending (as a positive spiral) is controlled. In order for this to happen however, certain conditions must first be met, e.g. a sufficient level of health care and family planning.
Protectionism
Protectionism can entail any number of policies as outlined here.
• National or regional markets are sealed, thus shutting out foreign competitors of internal markets.
• Obstructions, import duties, subsidies (i.e. supporting local suppliers) and technical trade barriers, such as a lengthy customs clearance process or an especially elaborate inspection on imported goods, are being used at an increased rate.
Protectionism is not merely concerned with hindering foreign competition’s ability to sell their goods or with the fact that they must deal with unnaturally deep world market prices, but it also has (both hidden and high) costs connected to one's own economy. A pro-protectionist argues that industry must be politically supported in order to preserve jobs or so that companies with potential can get established before they are confronted with worldwide competition. In certain cases and in a distinct timeframe such an argument could be valid, but it is difficult to dismantle protectionist measures once they are put in place.
Prisoner's Dilemma
Many political problems are compared to a situation that is denoted in Game Theory as the Prisoner's Dilemma. Two actors are in such a dilemma when they have to decide for or against a specific behaviour that would benefit both, but only if they both participate. It is observed that the individual actors choose not to participate with the anticipation that the competition will act "rationally" by not participating because there is a prospect of more profit at the expense of the others. Therefore, all actors eventually decide against cooperative action. Theoretically, this dilemma can be solved through accords and contracts. In practice it is often too late because the situation is already tipped in one actor's favour and they are normally not willing to give up their advantages.
Rio 1992
The UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) took place in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. It was a milestone for the integration of environment and development efforts, and it was the first major international conference since the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm 1972 in which environmental questions were discussed by the global community. Also, 2,400 representatives from non-governmental organizations participated at the conference and an additional 17,000 people took part in a parallel NGO Forum. Resulting from the UNCED were Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), et. al. The 1997 Rio +5 Conference and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) also took place as a consequence of the UNCED.
Reproductive Rights
Reproductive rights refer to birth control and family planning, but it is still only partial until the legalization of abortion. Such "rights" are highly controversial and are not found in any officially adopted human rights catalogue.
Special Drawing Rights
Special Drawing Rights are a kind of virtual currency which is allocated as credit by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to states when they (from lack of export revenues) get into financial difficulties. The value of this currency and the amounts that specific states are entitled are calculated from the contributions of the states to the IMF budget. Another function of the SDR is the achievement of additional liquidity, in other words, extra money with a readiness for application. (cp. fundraising). See also Transfer of Special Drawing Rights.
Spill-Overs
Spill-overs are "external effects", i.e. effects of behaviour from an actor on one or several basically uninvolved actors. Environmentally damaging emissions that are produced in one country, but in turn affect all countries, could be, for example, designated as spill-overs. Other problems emerge as well, such that the countries causing external effects has no interest in environment taxation (let alone a ban) on emissions because it would be competitively disadvantageous, and other countries would use them more than they themselves.
Subsidies
Subsidies are the financial support of an industry or business by the state, which can serve different purposes, and are only valued on a case-to-case basis. A well-known example are the agricultural subsidies by the EC, with which European farming is protected from the cheaper competition from overseas (cp. protectionism).
Subsidies
Subsidies are the financial support of an industry or business by the state, which can serve different purposes, and are only valued on a case-to-case basis. A well-known example are the agricultural subsidies by the EC, with which European farming is protected from the cheaper competition from overseas (cp. protectionism).
