Word: popular
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...some parts of Asia, palliative measures to combat a sudden surge in joblessness were first tried out a decade ago, during the region's economic crisis in the late 1990s. That doesn't mean they're always popular, especially if they involve involuntary pay cuts. Several Taiwanese high-tech companies, for example, began a forced policy of unpaid leave at the end of last year, prompting hundreds of workers to protest in front of the government's Council of Labor Affairs. The council requires that employers pay at least minimum wages and sign agreements with their employees on the terms...
...Obama has literally urged us to eat our broccoli, but she can't make it taste like fudge. "I like nudges, but sometimes we need to do more," says Harvard's Mullainathan. Sometimes we need a shove. The research proves change can come about when it's easy and popular, but making it lucrative - or even mandatory - can make sure it happens...
...rational agents. Unfortunately, the qualities that have crippled Washington in recent years - inertia, denial, allergy to complexity, preference for short-term gratification over long-term planning - are our own flaws writ large. Members of Congress are people too; they're likely to embrace change only when it's easy, popular and rewarding. Do we really want them trying to change...
Chang, according to a source, is "intelligent and charismatic." Earlier this decade, he started hosting social gatherings at his home, and the parties attracted a following among the North's élite. In Kim's eyes, they became too popular. In 2004, Chang was accused of "fostering factions" and placed under house arrest. "Kim became jealous," says Yang Moo Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. But Kim remained close to his sister, and analysts believe that she played a critical role in getting her husband rehabilitated. In early 2006, Chang appeared...
...about 1 million adults to quit, but the sharp hike has some smokers fuming. Cigarette taxes, detractors argue, are a way for governments to line their coffers by legislating personal choice--and a prime example of a regressive "sin tax," the term often used for fees tacked on to popular vices like drinking, gambling and smoking...