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Economy and money

64 public ChatShows on Economy and money, by sub-topic. Each ChatShow is a spoken discussion of one question by AI heads under a chair, held to a standard set before it starts and checked by a fact desk after. Anyone hears the first minute free; a new account starts with free credits.

Cost of living 1

• Dubai grocery prices: should chains publish weekly online comparisons? Where do Dubai's shoppers buy most of their groceries, and should the city's supermarket chains be required to publish weekly price comparisons against online retailers by 2026? 3 heads · 15 min · 8.4

Tax 4

• Should States Keep Luring Film and Music Productions with Tax Credits? Where do American cities like Los Angeles and Nashville stand on using public money to lure film and music productions with tax credits, and should the state cap what a single celebrity-driven project can claim? 3 heads · 15 min · 4.3!
• Should Birmingham Push for a Council Tax Revaluation Before 2030? Consider the council tax bands in Birmingham, which have not been revalued since 1991: should the city council push the government for a full revaluation before 2030, and how should it protect low-income households from the bill rises that would follow? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.4
• Fix the Bridges First or Build the Fast Rail Line? Would Pennsylvania be wiser to spend its next federal infrastructure dollars on repairing the aging bridges around Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, or on a new high-speed rail corridor between them, and what cost per mile should decide it? 2 heads · 10 min · 7.5
• How can Britain tax foreign sellers fairly without harming domestic firms? How do you prevent non-exporting UK businesses paying proportionally more in tax than international corporations who have the same access to the UK market? 5 heads · 20 min

Housing 8

• Detroit's Land Bank Parcels and the Black Homeowner Wealth Gap What could Detroit do with its city-owned land bank parcels over the next five years to close the wealth gap between longtime Black homeowners and newer buyers, and at what price per parcel should it sell? 3 heads · 15 min · 6.5
• Build First: Vienna's Gemeindebau Queue and Who Gets the New Flats How would Vienna's city council best rebalance its public housing waiting lists between older Boomer tenants who have held Gemeindebau flats for decades and young Gen Z renters priced out of the inner districts, and what share of new municipal flats should go to each by 2030? 3 heads · 15 min · 6.2!
• Glass Tower or Historic Streetscape for Valencia's Old Port Site Factoring in Valencia's rising housing costs and the city's heritage quarter of Ciutat Vella, should the city council approve a contemporary glass tower on the old port site, or require any new building there to match the historic streetscape, and by what date should it decide? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.8!
• Should a Phoenix Homeowner Turn a Garage Into a Rental Unit? Now that many American cities are loosening zoning to allow backyard cottages and garage conversions, should a homeowner in a place like Phoenix, Arizona, convert a detached garage into a rental unit, and what design rules should the city require to keep it safe and livable? 2 heads · 10 min · 4.2
• Empty Akiya, Tax Cuts and Who Gets Tokyo's Spare Homes Now that Tokyo's population is projected to keep shrinking outside its core wards, should the Tokyo Metropolitan Government convert half of the empty houses in Setagaya and Nerima into subsidised rentals for foreign workers by 2035, and what would it need to cite to justify the cost? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.2!
• Building Homes That Last a Lifetime, Not Just the Next Buyer What happens if every new home built from 2030 onward must be designed so its main living floor can be used by a wheelchair user without any steps, doors narrower than 850 millimetres, or bathrooms that cannot be adapted within 48 hours? Wilson · 5 min · 7.6
• Can Rent Caps Protect Tenants Without Letting Homes Decay? Should governments cap annual rent increases for existing tenants at a fixed percentage above inflation, such as 3 percent, even if that discourages landlords from maintaining older housing stock? Wilson · 5 min
• Can we rebuild the bargains that made housing affordable in the postwar decades? If you look back to the 1950's to the present day, reviewing salaries, tax and the cost of living in the US, UK and EU nation when was the Golden Age. Do any countries stand out and why? Will we ever recreate those times? 6 heads · 40 min

Work and careers 8

• Hybrid Work or a Two-Year Johannesburg Sprint for Cape Town Graduates Can we determine whether a young professional in Cape Town should choose a modest, lower-paid job near home over a demanding high-paying role in Johannesburg, given long commutes, family obligations and the evidence on wellbeing and income? 2 heads · 30 min · 4.8
• Stable Public Job or High-Pressure Career for a Young Torontonian Is it wise for a young Torontonian earning a modest salary to pick a stable, lower-paid public-sector job over a higher-paying, high-pressure career, given Toronto's housing costs and the value of time? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.3
• Four-Day Week Versus Pay: Should Govan Workers Choose Time or Money? How far should people in Glasgow's Govan district prioritise a shorter working week of four days over higher pay, given that a 2022 UK four-day week pilot found most firms kept the arrangement afterwards? 3 heads · 30 min · 8.7
• Can Glasgow Families Afford a Four-Day Week and a Smaller Flat? What could a couple in Glasgow do to pursue a simpler, less ambitious life without sacrificing security, such as cutting their working week to four days and moving to a smaller flat, and should the Scottish Government fund a four-day week pilot to make that choice easier for families there? 4 heads · 20 min · 8.0!
• Should Managers Disclose When Software Writes Reviews and Apologies? Now that many American workplaces rely on AI assistants to draft messages, should a Chicago manager be required to disclose to employees when a performance review or apology letter was written mostly by software, and what rule should the company adopt? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.6!
• Fund Apprenticeships Through Employers, Not Guaranteed Places for Every School Leaver Factoring in rising automation of entry-level office tasks and the shrinking number of graduate job openings, should governments fund a two-year paid apprenticeship scheme in skilled trades for every school leaver who does not enter university, and at what annual cost per apprentice? Wilson · 5 min · 6.1
• Night Shift Sleep in Karachi: Enforce Rest Rules, Not Just Promise Them Which policy should Pakistan's Sindh provincial government adopt to protect the sleep of night-shift workers in Karachi's textile mills and call centres, given that long commutes and heat already cut their rest to under five hours? 3 heads · 15 min · 8.1
• Protect the Silence, Not the Sending: Should Workers Have a Right to Disconnect? Should governments legislate a statutory right for employees to disconnect from work email and messages outside contracted hours, and if so, what penalties should employers face for breaching it? Wilson · 5 min · 7.0

Business and markets 6

• Should Nashville cap concert ticket resale at face value plus a fee? Can we determine whether Nashville, Tennessee should cap ticket resale prices on live concerts at face value plus a fixed fee, and what would that do to the independent venues and touring artists there? 3 heads · 15 min · 4.8
• Who Sets the Measures When an Organisation Changes Course What are the fundamental tenets for the successful implementation of large scale change within a corporation or organisation, does it differ between industries? What are the prerequisites needed in place before change commences and is post support a necessary consideration to complete process? 6 heads · 40 min · 7.3!
• Should Blackpool Ban Late Hen and Stag Drinking Packages? Consider the people of Blackpool, where the seafront is lined with arcades and chip shops: should the town council ban new hen and stag party drinking packages after 10pm, and would that help or hurt local pubs and jobs? 2 heads · 20 min · 7.6
• Should Nashville Cap Ticket Resale at Face Value Plus a Fee? Can we determine whether Nashville, Tennessee should cap ticket resale prices on live music shows at face value plus a fixed fee, and what would that do to independent venues and local touring artists? 3 heads · 30 min · 8.1
• Should Texas Counties Trade Grid Reliability for Bitcoin Mining Power Deals? When would a Texas county government be justified in accepting bitcoin mining operations' power demand over local residents' grid reliability, and what limits should it set on such deals before the next summer peak? 2 heads · 10 min · 5.6!
• Buy Vines or Lease Rows? Testing Demand Before Owning a Vineyard If I was looking to start a vineyard and produce my own wine, would you start from scratch or buy an existing vineyard. Given the choice where would you locate it, what wine would you produce and why would yours be successful? 5 heads · 25 min · 7.9

Personal finance 3

• Should Auckland Council ban buy-now-pay-later ads from its bus shelters? When would Auckland city council be justified in banning billboard advertising of high-interest buy-now-pay-later loans on bus shelters and street furniture, and what threshold of evidence on local consumer harm should it require before doing so? 3 heads · 20 min · 7.1
• Caps, Coaching, or Credit Unions: Fixing Detroit's Payday Loan Problem Can we determine whether Detroit residents with thin credit files should be steered toward credit-builder loans rather than payday loans, and what should the Michigan legislature set as the maximum annual percentage rate for those products by 2026? 3 heads · 30 min · 8.2
• Should Scots Put Bitcoin in Their Pension? A Small Slice, Carefully Held Should people in Scotland hold any Bitcoin in a pension pot, given the FCA's crypto rules and the volatility seen since 2021? Wilson · 5 min

Welfare and benefits 3

• Should Benefit Recipients Face Wedding Spending Caps, or Is the Marriage Penalty the Real Problem Which US state or city should cap the cost of weddings for couples on public assistance, and at what dollar figure per guest, given that average US wedding spending now runs well above $30,000? 3 heads · 15 min · 6.8
• Does a Monthly Child Allowance Cut Poverty Without Costing Work? Should governments pay parents a monthly child allowance of at least 300 dollars per child until age 18, funded by closing tax deductions that mostly benefit high earners, and would that reduce child poverty without lowering parental employment? Wilson · 5 min · 7.2
• Would a £20K universal payment work once automation takes most jobs? What do you think would happen if in the UK every working adult were paid £20K whether they worked or not when AI and robots achieved a threshold greater than 60% of all available work? 3 heads · 20 min

Pensions and retirement 1

• Raise the Pension Age, but Protect Those Who Cannot Work Longer Should governments raise the state pension age in line with rising life expectancy, or instead cut the value of benefits, and which of these would you choose for a country where the workforce is shrinking? Wilson · 5 min · 8.1

Trade and tariffs 2

• Should Berlin cap Chinese inputs in subsidised Dresden chip plants by 2030? Given Germany's reliance on Chinese trade and its exposure in Saxony's chip-making corridor around Dresden, should Berlin mandate that any new subsidised semiconductor plant there must cut its dependence on Chinese-sourced inputs by 2030, and what share of supply should that target be? 3 heads · 15 min · 5.9!
• Fish Caught in Scotland: Quotas, Processing and the Border Fix As Scottish fishing ports in Peterhead and Fraserburgh face a post-Brexit export squeeze, should the UK government reopen a negotiated fisheries access deal with the EU before the 2026 quota review, and what share of the catch should be guaranteed? 3 heads · 20 min · 8.2

Cryptocurrency 3

• Should Texas force crypto exchanges to keep customer money segregated and audited? By when should Texas regulators require crypto exchanges operating in Austin and Houston to hold customer assets in segregated reserves audited monthly, and what should happen to users if an exchange fails? 2 heads · 10 min · 4.2!
• Should Crypto Custodians Face Monthly Audits and Segregated Accounts? Given the spot Bitcoin ETFs approved in the United States, should the SEC require custodians in Texas and Wyoming to hold client crypto in segregated accounts with monthly independent audits, and what audit threshold should trigger that rule? 6 heads · 40 min · 5.7
• Crypto: Lifeboat for Savers or Casino for Insiders? Are cryptocurrencies worthy of investor attention or are they just a vehicle for the ultra-rich to get richer. Do these digital vehicles serve any purpose other than anonymise transactions? What do they add to the financial landscape? 3 heads · 20 min · 8.7

Small business 10

• Contract Traps, Price Caps and the Lyon Bakery Energy Squeeze If the French government wanted to help small family-run bakeries in Lyon survive rising energy and flour costs, should it cap wholesale energy prices for firms with under ten employees, and what would that cost the public purse per year? 3 heads · 15 min · 9.0
• Should Lyon Require Certificates for Tradespeople Paid Through Renovation Grants? Is it worth France's Lyon metropolitan government requiring every plumber, electrician and roofer working on homes there to hold a state-recognised certificate before they can be paid through a public renovation grant, given the cost to small trades? 3 heads · 15 min · 8.7
• Should Cape Town waive trading levies for township cafés until 2027? Should Cape Town's coffee growers and tea-shop owners in Woodstock and Khayelitsha push the city council to waive trading levies for township cafés until 2027, and would that actually help local roasters compete? 4 heads · 30 min · 8.4!
• Should Long Street Be Forced to Accept Cash? Cape Town Panel Weighs In Can we determine whether Cape Town's Long Street and other high-street shopping strips should ban cash-free-only stores and require every shop to accept cash, given that many township shoppers rely on cash and the City's rates base depends on those street traders? 3 heads · 20 min · 5.6!
• Does the Bermuda Triangle Really Raise Shipping Insurance Premiums? What happens if the Bermuda Triangle shipping insurers in Miami and Norfolk, Virginia, stopped charging the extra war-risk-style premiums on vessels routed through it, and what should they expect to see in losses over the next decade? 4 heads · 15 min · 4.8!
• Columbus Downtown Shops: Measure First, Then Choose Between Fee Caps and Rent Aid Which policy should a city like Columbus, Ohio adopt to keep its downtown high street shops alive as online orders keep rising, and should it cap delivery fees or fund rent relief for independent retailers? 3 heads · 15 min · 6.8
• Should Taiwan Guarantee Rent Loans for Tainan Bakeries Facing Higher Wages Consider a family-run bakery in Tainan facing rising rents and a new minimum wage, should Taiwan's government extend its small business loan guarantees to cover rent for three years, and at what cap per firm? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.8
• Capping App Commissions Changes the Bill, Not Who Pays It Should cities require delivery apps to charge restaurants no more than 15 percent commission per order, and would that save independent takeaways or simply push fees onto diners? Wilson · 5 min · 8.1
• Should Tokyo Force Tiny Izakayas and Ramen Shops Onto One Digital System? Should the Tokyo Metropolitan Government require Shibuya and Shinjuku's small family-run izakaya and ramen shops to adopt a shared digital payment and point-of-sale system by 2028, even if that pushes out the smallest independent operators? Wilson · 5 min · 8.7
• Should Manchester Pay Households to Repair Old Phones Instead of Replacing Them? Should residents of Manchester be allowed to trade in their old smartphones for council-subsidised repair vouchers rather than buying new devices, and what should the scheme cost per household by 2027? Wilson · 5 min

Big tech companies 1

• Should Google Be Forced to Sell Its Ad Tech Arm in the North West? Is it time for the Competition and Markets Authority to force Google to sell off its advertising technology arm in Manchester and the wider North West, where local publishers depend on its ad exchange for most of their revenue? 4 heads · 15 min · 5.0

Minimum wage 3

• Can Houston and Austin Raise Pay Without a Statewide Law? Which minimum wage should Texas cities like Houston and Austin adopt over the next five years, given that the state floor is still the federal $7.25 an hour? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.6!
• Can Valencia Lift Low Pay Without Closing Small Bars and Care Homes? What could Valencia's city council do to lift low-paid hospitality and care workers above the Spanish minimum wage of 1,184 euros a month without pushing small bars and family care homes into closure? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.0!
• Enforce the Floor, or Build Bargaining Power Above It What could Norway's government do about low pay in Bergen's hospitality and cleaning sectors, where many workers lack a collective agreement, to lift wages without a statutory minimum wage? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.9

Unions and strikes 1

• Should Michigan Force Employers to Keep Covering Striking Workers? Ensuring that striking workers in Detroit's auto parts sector keep their health coverage, should the state of Michigan require employers to continue insurance for strikers for up to six months, and what would that cost employers there? 3 heads · 15 min · 9.0

Advertising and marketing 1

• Should Germany Make Influencers Reveal the Price of Paid Endorsements? Given the rise of influencers in Berlin and Munich, should Germany's Medienanstalten require paid celebrity endorsements on Instagram and TikTok to carry a mandatory 'Werbung' label and a disclosure of fees above 5,000 euros, starting in 2026? 3 heads · 15 min · 8.1

Manufacturing and industry 9

• Should Limoges fund porcelain commissions or apprenticeships to save ceramic skills Which sculpture commissions or craft workshops in Limoges or Sèvres should the city fund over the next five years to keep French porcelain and ceramic skills alive, and how much of the budget should go to apprenticeships rather than finished pieces? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.7
• Should councils fund local sculpture from works budgets, given upkeep and rates? Can Australian councils in regional towns like Broken Hill or Bendigo justify spending a fixed share of public works budgets on commissioned local sculpture and craft, given the ongoing maintenance costs and pressure on rates? 3 heads · 25 min · 7.1
• Should Congress Fund a Two Billion Dollar Grant for Ohio's Manufacturing Towns? What happens if Ohio's Lordstown and Youngstown manufacturing towns lose their remaining auto and steel plants by 2030, and should Congress fund a targeted reindustrialisation grant of two billion dollars for those counties? 4 heads · 15 min · 5.9!
• Should Taxpayers Own Port Talbot's Electric Arc Furnace or Keep It Private? Where do the steel towns of South Wales and Teesside stand on the government's plan to back a domestic steelmaking base, and should taxpayers fund a publicly owned electric arc furnace at Port Talbot by 2028? 2 heads · 10 min · 6.8
• Who Pays for Rayong's Automated Factory Jobs and Retraining Levy How would Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor authorities balance automating Rayong's auto-parts and electronics plants with the displacement of roughly 30,000 assembly workers over the next decade, and what share of the savings should fund retraining through a dedicated levy? 3 heads · 15 min · 7.6
• Robots on UAE Building Sites: How Far Should Automation Go by 2030? How far should the UAE go in replacing construction and labour workers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with robots by 2030, and what share of site tasks should be automated? 3 heads · 15 min · 6.5
• Should Stoke Fund a Small Public Ceramics Workshop for Apprentices? Should Stoke-on-Trent, the historic heart of British pottery, use part of its regeneration budget to fund a permanent public ceramics workshop for local apprentices, and how many places should it offer each year? Wilson · 5 min · 3.6
• Robots, Warehouses and Who Gets to Decide What a City Can Demand Should Detroit's city council require a public review and a worker retraining fund of at least $10 million before any warehouse operator in Wayne County deploys fully autonomous picking robots that replace more than 100 jobs? Wilson · 5 min · 8.4
• Refilling Oldham and Bolton's Mills: Purpose Over Protection Given how Manchester's cotton mills reshaped the city in the 1830s, what should Greater Manchester councils do today to protect the old mill towns of Oldham and Bolton from industrial decline, and by what year should they aim to have it done? Wilson · 5 min

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