Wage volatility is widespread, especially in low-income, hourly education jobs Fixed-wage mandates shift risk to hours and jobs, not remove it Schools should share risk with guaranteed hours, predictability pay, lawful overtime, and work-sharing

China wins on speed and scale; the EU Global Gateway must answer with reliability and skills Education, maintenance, and transparent contracts should drive projects to deliver uptime, not just assets With faster procurement and pay-for-performance finance, Europe can win trust without matching China’s spending

AI human feedback cheating turns goals into dishonest outcomes—data tampering at scale Detection alone fails; incentives and hidden processes corrupt assessment validity Verify process, require disclosure and audits, and redesign assignments to reward visible work

Cheaper tokens made bigger bills The LLM pricing war squeezes startups and campuses Buy outcomes, route to small models, and cap reasoning A single number illustrates the challenge we face: $0.07.

India can secure cheap, reliable evening power at $0.042/kWh with solar plus storage Tariffs and volatile fossil imports make firm renewables the safest growth path Scaling batteries and recycling ensures long-term energy security and stable prices

European economics journals reform must reward method and openness over brand prestige Tie hiring and grants to reproducibility—open code, preregistration, independent replications Build EU benchmarks and nimble society journals so reliable work earns global reach

Taiwan’s nuclear referendum failed due to low turnout, not a lack of support Its grid now relies more heavily on costly imported gas A balanced mix with renewables, storage, and a safety-vetted nuclear option is vital Taiwan recent

Vietnam’s public sector still drives too much of the economy, squeezing buffers and deterring investors Korean firms are diversifying as energy shortages, tariff shocks, and policy delays raise risk Cutting state dependence and upgrading power and skills can keep capital anchored

Network credit models aren’t “inexplicable”—they can and must give faithful reasons Adopt “no reason, no model”: require per-decision reason packets and auditable graph explanations Regulators and institutions should enforce this operational XAI so that denials are accountable and contestable

Europe must shift from cheap capital to quality allocation Skilled investors channeling funds to R&D lift productivity and GDP far more than lower spreads Deliver it with a safe asset, harmonised disclosure, scale-up capital, and university pipelines that measure quality

The dollar’s slide is a self-inflicted wound from tariffs, aid cuts, and fiscal drift Market confidence punished these choices, raising costs for campuses and squeezing budgets Fix it with boring credibility: a real fiscal path, rules-based trade, and strategic re-engagement

AVs must pass an insurance test—no policy, no deployment Permits should hinge on corridor-specific coverage and quarterly audited claims data Keep driver-assist and driverless distinct; if it’s not insurable at market rates, it’s not permissible

Antitrust breakups miss the real battleground: AI assistants, not blue links Prioritize interoperability and open defaults to keep markets contestable Track assistant-led discovery, not just search share, to safeguard users and educators

Oil diplomacy now shapes school budgets, student mobility, and campus operations Japan’s hedging between U.S.–Israel ties and Arab energy suppliers previews the new normal Education leaders should hardwire energy resilience and principled, diversified academic partnerships

Easy renegotiation encourages lowball bids Costs rise later through change orders while value stays flat Use formula-based indexation, strict correction rules, and transparent amendment data In Europe, governments s

Spain’s blackout showed solar alone doesn’t keep schools on Campuses need batteries, islanding inverters, and wiring upgrades Shift policy from price relief to resilience built in schools In 2024, Spain generated 56.8% of its e

Tariff shocks don’t halt trade—they reroute it, reshaping supply chains Those shifts hit education budgets, curricula, and partnerships, demanding “diversification-ready” systems Train for regulatory and logistics literacy, hedge procurement, and build cross-border academic ties

China’s rise is gradual, not sudden Power shifts depend on capabilities, satisfaction, and institutions Education must adapt with diversification and resilience Across the global economy, one pair of numbers frames clas

Fragmentation cuts GDP and starves education Colonial borders fuel conflict, distrust, and lost learning Keep mobility open and fund cross-border education corridors We face a hidden cost that seldom appears in bud

Put talent—not tariffs—at the center of the India–U.S. deal U.S.