Context: In November 2023, Argentina elected Javier Milei, a self-described "anarcho-capitalist" economist, as president on a platform of radical neoliberal reform including dollarisation, elimination of the central bank, and massive state spending cuts. Milei inherited an economy with 140% annual inflation , a $44 billion IMF debt, and foreign exchange reserves near zero. Milei's government passed the omnibus "Bases" law and enacted over 300 deregulation measures through emergency decree, implementing the most aggressive austerity programme in Argentina's history; the approach achieved rapid
Context: Under Taliban rule , girls in Afghanistan have been systematically banned from secondary school and university, with restrictions intensifying dramatically after the Taliban's return to power in August 2021. Even where schools physically exist, social, political, and legal restrictions prevent girls from attending, meaning physical access to resources does not translate into real freedom or opportunity. This became a global politics issue because it raises fundamental questions about human development, gender equality, sovereignty, and whether the international community can or s
Context: Somalia has ranked last or near last on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for over a decade, scoring just 11/100 in 2023 and placing 180th out of 180 countries. The country has experienced near-total state collapse since the fall of the Barre regime in 1991, with successive governments struggling to establish basic institutional authority, rule of law, and public service delivery. This became a global politics case study because Somalia illustrates how corruption, state fragility, and underdevelopment are mutually reinforcing , and how the absence of acc
Context: Zambia is one of the world's largest copper producers, with copper making up over 70% of its export revenue , making its economy structurally dependent on a single commodity whose price is set in global markets by buyers in richer nations. Most of Zambia's copper is extracted by foreign-owned mining companies and processed in China, Switzerland, and other wealthy states, meaning the value-added stages of production happen elsewhere. This became a global politics case study because it illustrates how integration into the global economy on unequal terms can perpetuate rather than r
Context: Vietnam consistently scores well on the Happy Planet Index (HPI) , achieving high life expectancy of around 75 years , strong reported life satisfaction, and a low ecological footprint relative to its level of development, making it one of the most efficient development performers globally. Vietnam has achieved rapid poverty reduction since the Doi Moi economic reforms of 1986 , transforming from one of the world's poorest countries to a lower-middle-income country with improving human development outcomes. This became a global politics case study because Vietnam challenges the a
Context: In the 1960s, South Korea was a poor, war-damaged, rural country with a per capita income comparable to Ghana, limited industrial capacity, and heavy dependence on U.S. aid following the Korean War. Over the following four decades, South Korea transformed into a high-income, democratic, technologically advanced nation , home to global corporations like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG. This became a global politics case study because South Korea is the most frequently cited success story for modernisation theory , raising questions about whether its path is replicable and what role the st
Context: Niger has one of the highest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) scores in the world, with approximately 82% of its population classified as multidimensionally poor, experiencing severe overlapping deprivations in health, education, and living standards simultaneously. Niger consistently ranks at or near the bottom of the UN Human Development Index , facing compounding challenges of extreme poverty, rapid population growth, climate vulnerability, political instability, and regional insecurity. This became a global politics case study because Niger illustrates how poverty is mul
Context: Norway consistently ranks among the top two countries globally on the Social Progress Index, scoring 90.32 in 2023 (2nd globally), reflecting exceptional performance across basic human needs, foundations of wellbeing, and opportunity. Norway combines enormous oil wealth managed through the Government Pension Fund Global (the world's largest sovereign wealth fund) with a comprehensive welfare state, strong institutions, and deeply embedded social democratic values. This became a global politics case study because Norway represents a model of how resource wealth can be managed to
Context: In 2022, Sri Lanka experienced a complete economic collapse that produced the country's worst crisis since independence. The government defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in history, inflation exceeded 70%, foreign reserves dropped to near zero, and the country could not afford to import fuel, medicine, or food. Queues for fuel stretched for kilometres, hospitals ran out of essential medicines, and 22-hour daily power cuts paralysed the economy. The crisis triggered the Aragalaya ("the struggle") protest movement , culminating in demonstrators storming the President
Context: Germany scores strongly on the Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) , with an overall policy performance score of 7.2/10 , a democracy score of 9.1/10 , and a governance score of 7.4/10 , reflecting strong democratic institutions, effective public administration, and relatively coherent policy performance. Germany is Europe's largest economy and a central pillar of the European Union , making its governance model globally significant as a case study for how large, complex democracies can maintain institutional quality and policy effectiveness. This became a global politics cas
Context: Sweden scores exceptionally on the Sustainable Society Index (SSI) , with a Human Well-being Score of 9.3/10 , Environmental Well-being Score of 7.8/10 , and Economic Well-being Score of 7.2/10 , reflecting strong performance across all three pillars of sustainability: people, planet, and profit. Sweden combines a comprehensive social democratic welfare state with a globally competitive market economy, strong environmental policy, and deep commitment to gender equality and human rights, making it one of the most frequently cited models of sustainable development. This became a