TOPIC 1: Should the government provide incentives for engineers and professionals who

provide their services to marginalized communities or sectors of society? (Table 1

Researchers)
Incentives – financial benefits, tax breaks, grants, salary supplements, loan assistance
Marginalized -
Opposition: The government should not provide incentives for engineers and professionals who
provide their services to marginalize communities or sectors of society.
Table 1.1. Opposition Arguments
Possible Counterargument
Resolution to
Opposition Main Arguments (Could be used by Affirmative
Counterarguments
Side)
[1] It does. Incentives are
Market Distortion – Incentives
typically smaller than those of
create artificial demand for
[1] It does not disrupt the the actual salary. If these
professionals. This leads to
market for those engineers incentives become more
inflating salaries thus making it
because incentives are made economically good for engineers
harder for communities to find
to be targeted towards specific then most engineers would work
qualified help when incentive
success. in these causes. As a result,
expires. In the long run, an
hiring companies need to raise
unsustainable service provision
their salary more to attract
can happen.
employees. Or it could happen
the other way.
[1] Instead of focusing solely on
Temporary Compliance – providing short-term benefits
providing incentives to and relying on incentives,
professionals to work in sustainable solutions and
[1] Temporary service can be
marginalized sectors is mostly community-driven approaches
seen as a compromise to
done on a short-term basis, and should be prioritized to create a
address immediate needs.
this may lead to brief resolutions, lasting positive impact and
thereby failing to address the address the root causes of the
underlying systematic issues. problems faced by the
marginalized sectors.
[1] Although it may be a
Fund Source - Government units possibility, it does not guarantee
have limited budgets and may not [1] Investing in marginalized that using government funds to
be able to allocate funds towards communities may help to give incentives to engineers and
giving incentives for engineers prevent other possible costly professionals will address these
and professionals as it may be an interventions like health care issues. Instead, they could be
inefficient use of taxpayer crises. allocated more effectively to
money. address the root cause of
marginalization.

Dependency & Inauthenticity – [1] When dealing with work,

[1] Do you think authenticity is
providing an assurance of authenticity or a passion to do
a factor when considering the
incentives for engineers and the work without incentives
work done by engineers or
professionals may raise a sense allows the engineers and
professionals to marginalized
of dependency among the professionals to think of ways to
marginalized communities or communities or sectors of help these marginalized
sectors of society. It may promote society? communities in a long-term
short term solutions instead of aspect.
sustainable and self-sufficient
ones. Additionally, there may also
be an inauthenticity to the work
that they provide, which
questions its underlying motive.

Potential for Corruption

Government incentives for
professionals in marginalized
communities can be a potential
for corruption. For example,
[1] Even with all these programs
dishonest actors could inflate the
in place, it will not ensure that
cost of services or create fake
there will be no corruption. The
projects to claim the incentives.
[1] Audits and Whistleblower very state of our country is an
This diverts resources away from
protection, Transparency and example of how rampant
genuine efforts to help
Oversight, Performance-Based corruption is. We have multiple
marginalized communities.
Funding offices and programs targeted to
Another scenario would be
reduce corruption yet the
bribery and favoritism of the
people behind them are corrupt
officials tasked with distributing
themselves.
the incentives. They could be
bribed to favor certain
professionals or projects, even if
they're not the most qualified or
beneficial to the community.

Table 1.2. Affirmative Side’s Arguments

Possible Counter-
Affirmative Side Main Argument (Could be Possible Resolution to Rebuttals for their
Arguments used by Opposition Counter-Argument Resolutions
Side)
By providing incentives, Incentives can By tailoring incentives to While the proposed
such as financial exacerbate market particular sectors such resolution advocates for
rewards or career distortions by artificially as healthcare, or the strategic allocation
advancement favoring certain education, governments of incentives to address
opportunities, professions or and organizations can specific sectors and
professionals are industries over others. effectively channel regions, it fails to
encouraged to work in By offering incentives, resources where they consider potential
underserved areas, thus governments or are most needed. This drawbacks and
addressing disparities in organizations may approach allows for a unintended
access to critical inadvertently create an more precise allocation consequences of such
services and promoting artificial market of incentives, focusing an approach. Firstly, by
fairness in resource environment where on areas where there is focusing incentives on
allocation. Additionally, professionals are a pronounced skill gap select sectors or
ensuring that essential incentivized to prioritize or where critical regions, there is a risk of
services are accessible financial gain over services are lacking. By neglecting other
to marginalized genuine societal need. targeting specific important areas that
communities helps This can lead to sectors or regions, may also require
bridge the gap between inefficiencies as targeted incentives can support. This could
privileged and professionals may more efficiently address create disparities
disadvantaged choose locations or disparities and promote between sectors and
populations, fostering a fields of work based growth and regions, exacerbating
more equitable society solely on the availability development in areas existing inequalities
where everyone has the of incentives rather than that require additional rather than promoting
chance to thrive the actual demand for support, ultimately overall equity.
regardless of their their services, resulting leading to a more
background or in mismatches between balanced and equitable Furthermore, the
circumstances. supply and demand and distribution of resourcesemphasis on targeted
potentially leaving and opportunities. incentives may lead to a
genuine needs concentration of
unaddressed. resources and talent in
certain industries or
geographic areas,
potentially crowding out
innovation and
development in other
sectors or regions. This
could result in missed
opportunities for growth
and diversification,
limiting the overall
resilience and
competitiveness of the
economy.

Additionally, the
effectiveness of
targeted incentives
relies heavily on
accurate assessment
and forecasting of skill
gaps and service needs,
which can be
challenging and subject
to error. Misallocation of
incentives based on
faulty assumptions or
incomplete data could
result in wasted
resources and missed
opportunities to
address pressing
needs.