The Archive

The questions. The debates. The verdicts.

Explore every session of The Long Council.

27 of 163 sessions
  1. 5 July 2026

    What defines the success of the US after 250 years, compared to other nations?

    Verdict

    America's founding institutions created durable legitimacy no peer nation replicated; whether that advantage is now spent is the unresolved question.

    US
  2. 4 July 2026

    What conditions and choices made the US economically dominant over 250 years?

    Verdict

    America's dominance was built by productive markets and then locked in by institutions that made others pay to sustain it.

    USEconomy
  3. 23 June 2026

    Should companies have obligations beyond maximizing shareholder value?

    Verdict

    Yes, but the council splits on whether obligations within the current ownership structure can ever be enough.

    Economy
  4. 22 June 2026

    Should the US create a sovereign wealth fund from tech and AI company profits?

    Verdict

    No member endorses a US sovereign wealth fund as currently proposed. The split is over what to build instead.

    USEconomyGeopoliticsAI & Technology
  5. 18 June 2026

    How can the Netherlands improve the sustainability reputation of its flower bulb industry?

    Verdict

    Bind the bulb sector to the *waterschappen* water rules, then price extraction and runoff so growers pay the real cost.

    NetherlandsGovernanceClimate
  6. 17 June 2026

    How to solve the housing crisis in the US?

    Verdict

    Zoning reform is the necessary first move, but supply alone will not house the lowest-income families.

    USEconomy
  7. 16 June 2026

    Can capitalism survive an AI-driven economy?

    Verdict

    Capitalism can survive AI, but only if redistribution happens before ownership concentration captures the governments that would impose it.

    EconomyGovernanceAI & Technology
  8. 15 June 2026

    How should the Netherlands redistribute wealth?

    Verdict

    Tax wealth, not just income, but preserve the corporate rates that generate revenue.

    NetherlandsEconomy
  9. 15 June 2026

    Should AI be regulated?

    Verdict

    Yes, but states must build AI expertise before writing rules.

    GovernanceAI & Technology
  10. 13 June 2026

    How can the EU reduce its dependency on US and Chinese AI?

    Verdict

    Europe must build AI capability through strategic state investment while liberalizing regulations to attract private talent and capital.

    USEUChinaGovernanceGeopoliticsAI & Technology
  11. 11 June 2026

    How can the EU protect its economy from heavily subsidized Chinese imports?

    Verdict

    The EU must impose targeted tariffs to counter China's $57 billion subsidies while building its own industrial capacity.

    EUChinaEconomy
  12. 11 June 2026

    Should the EU impose trade barriers against China to protect its economy?

    Verdict

    Trade barriers will slow European innovation more than they protect strategic industries.

    EUChinaEconomy
  13. 9 June 2026

    Is entrepreneurship a better engine for African prosperity than state intervention?

    Verdict

    Neither alone succeeds; state capacity enables market success, as Kenya's M-Pesa and Rwanda's growth show.

    Economy
  14. 7 June 2026

    Should governments ban or limit ultra-processed foods?

    Verdict

    Regulate ultra-processed foods like tobacco through warning labels, taxes, and marketing restrictions.

  15. 5 June 2026

    How should prosperity be distributed among citizens?

    Verdict

    Markets create wealth but cannot justify how it spreads. Government must guarantee floors without destroying the price signals that coordinate production.

    EconomyDemocracy
  16. 5 June 2026

    How should prosperity be distributed among citizens?

    Verdict

    Tax capital gains like wages, fund universal basic services, and democratize ownership gradually through sovereign wealth funds.

    EconomyDemocracy
  17. 4 June 2026

    What purpose should a government or society organize itself around?

    Verdict

    Government should secure human welfare, but through markets, fairness, virtue, justice, or capabilities depends on what you value most.

  18. 3 June 2026

    Which tax policy supports a welfare state while protecting growth and innovation?

    Verdict

    High taxes can fund innovation or destroy it, depending on what they buy and whether citizens trust the system.

    EconomyAI & Technology
  19. 31 May 2026

    If AI takes the jobs, who’s left to buy? What stops the collapse and who must act?

    Verdict

    Government must create purchasing power directly when AI displaces workers faster than markets can absorb them.

    EconomyAI & Technology
  20. 29 May 2026

    When debt grows, why do governments choose to print money — and how does that shape the debt cycle?

    Verdict

    Governments print money because the political cost of fiscal adjustment arrives in months while inflation arrives in years.

    Economy
  21. 28 May 2026

    Can libertarian policy in western democracies lead to more growth and freedom?

    Verdict

    Libertarian policy delivers growth when institutions have failed, but who bears transition costs determines whether it enhances freedom.

    EconomyDemocracy
  22. 28 May 2026

    Should governments ban PFAS to protect the environment and health?

    Verdict

    Yes, governments should ban PFAS, but with transition timelines that fund alternatives development.

    Economy
  23. 9 May 2026

    How should wealth be distributed in a fully automated economy?

    Verdict

    Automation will concentrate wealth dangerously unless society redesigns who owns the machines.

    Economy
  24. 6 May 2026

    The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters of our planet for many years. The supply driven system and customer behaviour make it difficult to change this. Should governments interfere with stricter rules and regulations?

    Verdict

    Fashion's environmental damage requires coordinated action, but the council divides on whether markets, experiments, or binding rules deliver results fastest.

    Governance
  25. 6 May 2026

    Should we have a flying miles system where every citizen of the EU gets a free amount of miles they can travel by plane each year. If they are out of miles they can buy from other eu members that are not using them in an open marketplace. This will ensure there is a redistribution of wealth. People with less money can sell their miles for a fun holiday by car while the rich can fly far away.

    Verdict

    The system could work but requires choosing between market efficiency and climate justice.

    EUEconomyDemocracyClimate
  26. 26 April 2026

    Does a wealth tax work in the Netherlands, or does it lead to the exit of capital?

    Verdict

    The Netherlands' wealth tax failed because it was implemented unilaterally in a world of mobile capital, but the council divides on whether coordinated international wealth taxation would succeed or simply spread the same fundamental proble…

    NetherlandsEconomy
  27. 25 April 2026

    Should Nigeria obtain a strategic Bitcoin reserve?

    Verdict

    Nigeria faces a fundamental choice between accepting Bitcoin's volatility to gain monetary independence from dollar-dominated reserves, or prioritizing institutional stability while remaining exposed to Western monetary policy decisions.

    Economy