social engineering, strings to rescue funds

Some Banks, Citing Strings, Want to Return Aid

By STEPHEN LABATON 23 minutes ago

Critics of the White House conditions on bailout funds say the measures border on social engineering.

WASHINGTON — The list of demands keeps getting longer.

Financial institutions that are getting government bailout funds have been told to put off evictions and modify mortgages for distressed homeowners. They must let shareholders vote on executive pay packages. They must slash dividends, cancel employee training and morale-building exercises, and withdraw job offers to foreign citizens.

As public outrage swells over the rapidly growing cost of bailing out financial institutions, the Obama administration and lawmakers are attaching more and more strings to rescue funds.

Definition

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social engineering noun [U]
the artificial controlling or changing of the groups within society



string

1. Informal. A limiting or hidden condition. Often used in the plural: a gift with no strings attached.