Glossary of Scenario Terms

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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.

 

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pacifism: a philosophy rejecting war and violent action as a means of solving disputes, especially in international affairs. Pacifists believe that peaceful methods are a reasonable and desirable alternative to war. 

 

Paris Club: refers to an organization that coordinates the lending practices of large creditor nations. It includes the US, the EU, Japan and Canada. They coordinate their actions toward debtor nations with the IMF. The Paris Club is distinct from the London Club, which is a large association of private banks with loans to the developing world. 

 

Pacific Rim: a general referring to countries that border both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Rim countries include the United States, Mexico and Canada as well as Japan, China and Vietnam. 

 

paramilitary: an auxiliary military force that is organized and operated somewhat like a military force. 

 

persistent organic pollutants: highly toxic pollutants that stay in the environment for years or decades before breaking down. These pollutants can spread across the world and end up thousand of miles away from their original source. They become concentrated in high doses in foods that human eats, posing a great health problem. 

 

pluralistic: a society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain a free and self-contained participation in their traditional cultures. 

 

Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF): a system established by the IMF in 1999 to give special loans to countries targeted at reducing poverty. The loans have low interest rates, long repayment terms and a grace period. Countries that apply for a PRGF loan must first prepare strategies for how they will use the money to help fight poverty. The PRGF was designed to give recipient countries more flexibility in designing anti-poverty programs to fit their unique situations. 

 

PPP: see Purchasing Power Parity  

 

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP): Purchasing power parity (PPP) rates are used in order to make worldwide comparisons across countries more accurate. The basis for the calculation of PPPs is information on prices of an agreed list of products, which must be present in all the countries concerned and strictly comparable between those countries. The information derived from the PPP method provides the best available starting point for comparisons of economic strength and well being between countries. 

 

privatization: the process of selling governmentowned industry and services to private companies. Privatization is currently taking place in the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in their transition to market economies. It is also taking place in many LDCs that are trying to reduce government spending and generate income by selling unprofitable services and industries, and to develop economically. 

 

producer: someone that grows agricultural products, manufactures articles for use, or provides some useful service (see also consumer). 

 

proliferation: The spread of nuclear weapons to states that had not previously had them. 

 

protectionism: a policy designed to shield the local economy from outside competition through high tariffs, subsidies, or trade restrictions.