We were asked to write 100 words on our wonderful idea, and also 100 words on something in public policy we had changed our minds about in the last 10 years. In the first category I suggested that income-contingent loan mechanisms were a fantastic and innovative instrument for solving all of the world’s problems, such as for the financing of paid parental leave and drought relief, the collection of low-level criminal fines, and much more. This didn’t take 100 words so I then added that income-contingent loans would eliminate terrorism, resolve global warming, secure world peace (quite soon), and provide the key to immortality. That should get their attention.

Finding something that I had changed my mind about was harder, and I noticed that several of my colleagues responded to this question by saying ‘Nothing’. For this second category I wrote something like: ‘I used to think that income-contingent loans couldn’t solve all of the world’s problems, but now I realize that they can.’ I reckoned a bit of a consistent theme would maximize my chances of getting this up at the summit. [Editor’s Note: Professor Chapman got nothing up at the Summit.] ^[3]