In the state-controlled model, governments have significant authority and influence over the operation of universities through legislation, funding, and oversight. They regularly assess and evaluate all universities and thereby allocate state funding. Universities that receive poor ratings in these assessments may be labeled as "poorly run" and receive little to no funding. In contrast, the autonomous model gives universities much greater independence in their operations, with minimal state influence. The universities typically generate their own funding, often through tuition, donations, and partnerships, without relying heavily on government support.

The ASEAN consensus is a method of decision making whereby all announcements made by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are non-binding and require the agreement of all 11 ASEAN member states.

Positive stereotypes are stereotypes that confer positive traits onto particular minority groups. Ie African Americans may be seen as hardworking, or Asian students may be seen as intelligent.

The Degrowth Movement is a social movement that criticises the political and social need for economies to consistently grow. Degrowth advocates suggest deliberately capping economic growth, or even shrinking the economy primarily in the service of, but not only for, environmental reasons.

For the purposes of this debate, Nihilism refers to an increasing sense of meaninglessness, pessimism and skepticism about life in the modern day.