The Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC), founded in 1602, was a powerful trading corporation with a monopoly over Dutch trade in the world. It became one of the world's first multinational companies and played a major role in global commerce during the 17th and 18th centuries.

For the purposes of the debate, (a) children are defined as individuals under the age of 16, and (b) the debate takes place in one family household. There are two approaches in raising children around the use of electronic devices and access to the internet.

One is the supervisory approach. Parents following the supervisory approach allow their child to have electronic devices and independent access to the internet, but will supervise their child's activity through mediation measures (e.g. talking to their child about the websites, content, or functions they should and should not be consuming). 

The other is the restrictive approach. Parents following the restrictive approach do not allow their child to independently own an electronic device (e.g. the child must ask their parent to use their phone or tablet and return it once done) and do not allow unrestricted access to the internet (e.g. the parent will impose controls to block certain websites, content, or functions). 

For the purpose of the debate, the state of nature describes a condition before or without central political authority, where individuals interact without a common sovereign power above them. The Hobbesian Leviathan refers to a sovereign authority that functions as a third party above individuals, creating common rules, enforcing contracts, and resolving disputes. Peace is maintained through compliance to the Leviathan. By contrast, Rousseauian Natural Liberty refers to a condition without sovereign authority, where individuals remain free from centralised coercion. Peace is maintained directly through trust, reciprocity, and the practical need to cooperate for survival.

Neijuan (translation: involution) refers to the unproductive, “rat-race” of excessive competition where corporations increase investment without increasing returns or reinvesting into research and development. Neijuan in the Chinese economic context is driven by corporations lowering prices below a profit margin to undercut competitors, leading to greater pressure to survive and a decay in innovation in the sector. Renewable energy, particularly in the new energy vehicle (NEV) and photovoltaic (PV) sectors, are major areas suffering under neijuan. 

USA litigation culture refers to a system where disputes and harmful behaviour are managed through individuals or groups filing lawsuits. Citizens can sue companies, public institutions, or one another in order to receive damages, force settlements, or establish legal responsibility. Through claims courts and tort law, the outcome of the suit may result in one party receiving remediation.

By contrast, EU pre-emptive regulation culture refers to a system where disputes and harmful behaviour is managed through enforcement of regulations, administrative oversight, and inspections. Citizens are more likely to report violations to regulators, consumer protection institutions, labour inspectorates, or electoral representatives. The state then investigates and may respond through setting regulatory standards or punishing non-compliance.

Numerous Southeast Asian nations, such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, impose strict restrictions on foreign business ownership. A generic, non-exhaustive list of these restrictions include: (1) prohibitions on foreign ownership in specific sectors (e.g. traditional retail, wholesale, or low-tier trade and services), (2) limitations on foreign ownership in domestic enterprises (e.g. in Thailand, foreigners cannot own more than 49% of a domestic enterprise), and (3) high minimum capital rules (e.g. in Indonesia, the minimum capital requirement to establish a foreign company is IDR 10 billion, or approximately US$615,000). 

For the purposes of the debate, a "dangerous space" refers to a community where individuals deliberately engage in sensitive or controversial topics of discussion often avoided or censured in mainstream channels or platforms.

There are two dominant methods of managing urban slums. One is breaking them up, which involves the forcible relocation of many inhabitants to other areas of the city or the countryside and the demolition of parts of the slum. The other is formalising the urban slums, which involves giving squatters legal rights to their land and attempting to provide legal recourse for disputes in their slums.

For the purposes of the debate, you are Yamine Lamal, a Spanish football player of Moroccan descent who currently plays for a club in the Spanish football league. You are one of the up-and-coming young players in the football world, praised for your one-on-one dribbling, close control and chance creation from the right wing. You are eligible to represent either Spain or Morocco, and both teams have invited you to join the teams for the 2026 World Cup. 

The Spanish national team is one of the strongest teams in world football, and is traditionally associated with technical possession, high pressing and an offensive style of play. The Moroccan national team is currently going trough their golden generation, finishing 4th in the 2022 World Cup. Morocco is known as a more defensive team with a disciplined style of play, with its main stars playing defensive roles.