Essex County Council’s (ECC) children’s social care service had received multiple ‘inadequate’ ratings from the UK regulator, and in 2011 was considering ways to implement preventative measures to keep children out of care. Facing budget constraints, the ECC was weighing up a new social impact bond (SIB) model to fund a programme for at youth-risk. What were the trade-offs involved in using a SIB?

After Bank of America (BofA) acquired Merrill Lynch, an investment bank nearing collapse during the global financial crisis, it emerged that BofA failed to disclose that $5.8 billion had been earmarked for Merrill’s employee bonuses. BofA later agreed to a $33 million settlement. Now, US federal judge Jed Rakoff, responsible for approving the settlement, questioned if justice was being served when BofA shareholders, the victims of the misrepresentation, would have to pay the penalty. Should he approve the settlement?

On 9 March 2017, Preet Bharara, US attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), saw he had missed a call from US President Donald Trump. While not illegal, such communication was usually routed through senior intermediaries in the US Department of Justice to avoid political influence in law enforcement. Bharara wanted to avoid any impropriety, but he also knew that President Trump preferred to deal directly with subordinates. Should he return the president’s call?

While millions of Americans gained health insurance after the Affordable Care Act was implemented in 2010, insurance markets in many states remained tenuous. Halcyon, a fictional US state, saw insurers exiting the system, premiums rising, and the number of uninsured people growing. The head of the state’s health commission was considering a potential solution: would shifting to an ‘opt-out’ system for basic health insurance stabilise the market?