Glossary of Scenario Terms

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J-L | M | N | O | P | Q-R | S | T | U-Z

Browse or search for a term alphabetically by clicking the appropriate letter above, or enter the term below to search all the pages in the glossary.

 

______________G_______________

gains from trade: the idea in international economic theory that when countries sell goods and services to one another, it is almost always to their mutual advantage. 

 

GATT: see General Agreement On Tariffs And Trade  GDP: see gross domestic product  

 

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT): established in October 1947 to promote the expansion of international trade on a non-discriminatory basis through a series of international agreements. The aim of GATT is to encourage each country to produce those products which they can make most efficiently. The latest round of talks, known as the Uruguay Round, started in 1987 and ended late in 1993. Ninety-eight countries are currently members of GATT, with other countries, such as China, actively seeking membership. GATT was succeeded by the World Trade Organization in 1995. 

 

genocide: a particular ethnic group killing everyone from a different ethnic group. The Holocaust conducted by the Nazi regime against Jews was the first modern genocide. There have been genocides recently in Cambodia and in Bosnia. The United Nations has tried to intervene to halt genocides. 

 

globalization: a term loosely used to refer to a recent worldwide phenomenon of increasing and accelerated linkages between countries and peoples around the world. Globalization encompasses such processes as the increasing integration of economic, technological and even political systems around the world. 

 

global warming: a phenomenon which has occurred as industrial emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels has created a blanket of gasses around the earth’s atmosphere. The heat of the earth cannot escape properly into the atmosphere through this layer of gasses, thus warming the planet. 

 

GNP: see gross national product  

 

goods: an economic term generally referring to tangible products used to satisfy people’s wants and needs. Goods should be contrasted with services, which refers to the intangible performance of duties to satisfy wants and needs. 

 

great powers: Countries with worldwide influence. Generally thought of as the members of the UN Security Council (the US, UK, France, Russia and China) as well as Japan and Germany. 

 

greenhouse gases: gases that are released into the atmosphere through natural processes and human activity. These gases, especially carbon dioxide, build up and trap heat in the atmosphere, causing the planet to warm. 

 

Group of Eight (G-8): established in 1985 to unite the seven most highly developed non-communist countries in the world. After the end of the Cold War Russia was slowly integrated into the group. The leaders of the G-8 countries meet periodically to discuss political and economic issues of common concern. The member states are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK, and the US. 

 

Green Party: in many European countries, the Green Party is the political party that most strongly supports government policies to protect the environment. 

 

gross domestic product: (GDP) The total output of goods and services produced in a country in a given year. 

 

gross national product: (GNP) The total output of goods and services produced within a country plus income from investments abroad in a given year.