Questions tagged [economy]
For questions regarding wealth, trade, or financial concepts.
697
questions
0
votes
0answers
54 views
What will happen if there are only two countries left in the world? [closed]
I would like to know what will happen if there are only two countries left in the world. Lets say after 100 years, there are only America and China. Will they try to defeat each other to unit the ...
3
votes
4answers
169 views
Why would a technologically advance space-faring civilization still use physical currency?
In this world human civilization has reached the stars and now spans across multiple galaxies. Technological advancements such as neural implants, FTL travel, and FTL internet access are ubiquitous ...
11
votes
14answers
2k views
Ideas for medieval currency
D&D and many similar fantasy settings use a (perhaps unrealistically) simple system of currency consisting of silver and gold pieces. (These are, of course, roughly analogous to pence and ...
0
votes
2answers
67 views
How might a multi-backed commodity currency work?
I have three post apocalypse tribes who each produce different goods, let's say black beans (protein dominant), potatoes (carb dominant), and vegetable oil (fat dominant). They're unifying into a ...
6
votes
3answers
172 views
Woodpunk World- 'Super Wood' developed in the mid-late 19th century?
So, here's the premise- in this alternate 'woodpunk' historical timeline, primarily focused upon Japan, someone stumbles across this development far earlier on, in the mid to late 19th century (as ...
6
votes
7answers
171 views
In a world where magic is common, how can an economy be protected from magical counterfeiting and transmutation? [closed]
Say it's a world where most people are at least aware that magic exists, and that some magicians can do things that would destabilize a real-world economy. How would economists, legislators, and law-...
1
vote
5answers
146 views
In a more advanced society that experiences incursions by monsters, do you think weapons such as guns would cost more or less the same as our society?
I'm in the middle of creating my own role-play game set in a fantasy/sci-fi setting where the society is attacked fairly regular by monsters and the like; Due to this I'm having trouble with the ...
4
votes
10answers
412 views
Why would currency retain value even after the kingdom that originally minted them is now gone
The land of Vau was once dominated by the Queens of the "Old Kingdom". The currency of the old kingdom was known as the "Argen". The Argen was minted in silver, bronze, and iron varieties. However The ...
2
votes
0answers
275 views
How to make my matriarchal society more realistic [closed]
So I am playing with idea of fantasy matriarchal society. I want it to be realistic and coherent. This is what I have so far:
Aim
I wanted to avoid a simple patriarchal flip, where social structure ...
0
votes
1answer
74 views
Where should the terrorist destroy to destablize global economy [closed]
In my story(setting--modern day), a group of terrorist got one nuclear device from North Korea(50-100 kiloton). Their goal is to destablize global economy so the common people in first world nation (...
5
votes
5answers
946 views
Perils of having a moon consisting of valuable material
In the 1960s we were disappointed to find that the moon is a pile of dust and rubble with no easily accessible valuable materials. Well, we kind of knew it before that, but we weren't sure. Anyway, ...
3
votes
6answers
118 views
Early stages of a police / surveillance state, experiment leading to totaliarian government [closed]
A democratic government starts tightening its grip on the citizens by tiny steps, slowly but surely they advance towards a state that resembles China today.
In their first step, they start a ...
1
vote
4answers
144 views
What kind of transport infrastructure would there be in a new planetary colony?
Say humanity have the luxury to start anew. Colonizing a planet where speed of colonization is not an issue. Let's assume planet conditions and gravity pull similar to Earth. Technology relatively ...
4
votes
3answers
84 views
Considerations on settlements and urban development on a colonized exoplanet
When humans are colonizing a new planet, what are the considerations that need to be made for settlement placement and development?
For this particular question, let's consider the following ...
4
votes
5answers
165 views
What system could incentivize medical care to keep all people as healthy as possible? [closed]
I want a world where doctors are incentivized to keep all people as healthy as possible with the budget society is willing to spend on healthcare. It should also be a world where people would like to ...
5
votes
4answers
151 views
How would a Disappearer make himself known as reliable?
A "Disappearer" sells the service of taking people and giving them new lives and identities. The Disappearer doesn't want to reveal identity to avoid being interrogated by the police or worse, ...
22
votes
15answers
4k views
What's the most profitable use for an elemental transmuter?
The cold fusion generator is ready, loaded with tons of heavy water. The scientists stand by ready to measure the energy output of the amazing new technology.
They turn it on, and as expected, get ...
1
vote
1answer
175 views
Direct Consequences of Powered Armor [closed]
The Question
What are the direct consequences of powered armor being practical?
Background
In the setting I have been working on, humanity has invented a man-machine interface, bio-mechanical cells ...
1
vote
4answers
236 views
If North America and Latin America unified into one country, how would the highway system work?
Canada, the US, and Mexico all have pretty nice highways. However, that isn’t the case with most Latin America countries that don’t even have paved highways. Would the supercountry use all of its ...
7
votes
5answers
543 views
Is it possible for a country to develop the equivalent of a Second Industrial Revolution while under a war of attrition?
I'm developing a setting that has majoritarily experienced a First Industrial Revolution after a period of peace, preceded by a period of warfare sort of equivalent to the Napoleonic wars.
Now I am ...
5
votes
12answers
3k views
Can a successful economy exist without renting stuff?
Modern capitalism is considered as the most successful form of economy (and it clearly works better than, say, communism), but it too has its flaws. One of the most glaring ones (in my opinion) is the ...
1
vote
4answers
245 views
Can all citizens/residents of town/city be wealthy? [closed]
Was just reading a bedtime story to the kids where there was an isolated small town and "everyone was wealthy and happy" and that got me thinking, can it actually be true?
If everyone is "wealthy", ...
13
votes
4answers
641 views
Will asteroid mining be economical in foreseeable future?
I see that asteroid mining had already been extensively discussed in the context of today's technology (Ex. Is Asteroid Harvesting economic?) and the answer is a definitive "No" - it's not economical ...
-1
votes
2answers
162 views
Implications of a scifi society's industry [closed]
If a space faring society has access to such resources, and technological capabilities that they are able to make alloys strong enough to build large, armored space vessels, extract gas from a gas ...
20
votes
9answers
4k views
How would two worlds first establish an exchange rate between their currencies
There are two worlds of more or less equivalent technological level, say a difference of only a few decades and no more than 50 years. A first contact event occurs and after the hoopla dies down ...
3
votes
2answers
209 views
Wich knowledge would persevere in this post-apocalyptic world?
First of all: sorry for my english.
I'm writing a post-apocalyptic book and I got some simple questions before I can finish shapping its world. In my fiction, the world fell apart (doesn't matter ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
Economics of a Port City [closed]
Gaian is a large city situated along a natural cove, defended to the north and south by towering mountains and to the east by the city walls. To the west is the largest ocean in the known world. Gaian ...
10
votes
9answers
4k views
How would a disabled person earn their living in a medieval-type town?
We are in a far future. Humanity has widely abandoned technology, and effectively reached medieval level (so things need not be true to an actual medieval setting).
We are in a larger town. In that ...
2
votes
5answers
145 views
What resources would Earth want from a STL colonial civilization? [duplicate]
In the year 21XX, Earth sends several slower-than-light ships to colonize Earth-like planets. The atmosphere, topsoil mineral composition, and the frequency profile and intensity of light on these ...
24
votes
13answers
4k views
Fantasy Macro Economics: What would Merfolk trade for?
In the world I'm making, humans trade with a variety of species, one of which is a society of merpeople. Humans typically acquire goods and services in the form of fish, pearls, under sea flora for ...
1
vote
1answer
155 views
What are some modern policies that can be applied to or improve 17th-century European society? [closed]
Supposedly, a relatively smart + educated young woman from modern society is transmigrated into a body of a woman living in a country that is similar to 17th-century Europe. Monarchy and nobility ...
1
vote
1answer
122 views
Thought experiment - Summer Camp for All rather than Universal Basic Income [closed]
Here's a thought - municipalities and non-profits would build lots of housing and food courts for those in need, and in exchange people would work to build and maintain the housing and food courts and ...
2
votes
3answers
124 views
Choosing a World's/Region's/etc. Interest Rates
In several RPG campaigns, I've seen player characters try to either make investments or borrow significant amounts of money. This made me wonder: which sorts of worlds should have interest rates that ...
5
votes
1answer
184 views
A practical post apocalypse bullet farm for the survivor on a budget [closed]
In a post apocalyptic society (let's say northern Arizona or southern Colorado) or just outside of a city what would be Needed to practically 'farm' (produce) modern bullets? The idea is to be able to ...
2
votes
3answers
150 views
House blimp living [closed]
What problems might I run into if I live in an airship?
I would like to entertain the possibility to park tethered to a sky scraper in an unpowered airship in order to save money and travel time. I ...
17
votes
10answers
2k views
Export economy of Mars
So Mars has been colonised and is mostly self-sufficient (food,water, construction etc).
(We finally managed to create a back up humanity! Whew!)
Ok now Mars is looking to create an export economy ...
10
votes
9answers
2k views
Cause of periodic, random, forced migration?
I am looking for a (preferably economic or environmental) force/system that would every few months or years force a random sample of the middle/lower class of an area to migrate away. This would be ...
4
votes
12answers
2k views
How can the artificial womb be made affordable for the common people?
The artificial womb has become a reality, freeing many women from the 9 month burden of carrying a child. Unfortunately, it was not the liberating game changer that feminists hoped it would be. These ...
13
votes
10answers
4k views
What would be the effects of (relatively) widespread precognition on the stock market?
I am working on a story in which around 1% of the world population has at least some semblance of a metahuman ability. Many metahuman abilities are advantageous in traditional employment, and I ...
0
votes
2answers
190 views
How can an elder god's corporation remove suspicion from its plans while preserving its clandestine monopoly?
The elder god Mickeyruth seeks to enter our reality and dominate humankind. To accomplish this, he has used his loyal cult of followers to found a company called Disney. Throughout the decades, this ...
3
votes
5answers
401 views
In a 'Zootopia' situation who's in power, the Elephant or the Mouse?
Imagine a situation kind of like Zootopia with many different creatures all living in one environment, some significantly larger than others. These species aren't necessarily furries like in Zootopia,...
5
votes
3answers
283 views
What jobs would people work in a frontier railroad town? [closed]
What would people do in 1860s railroad towns?
In a place similar to frontier America, it seems towns are built around very clear purposes. A majority of people would follow the town specific ...
41
votes
29answers
6k views
Justifying Affordable Bespoke Spaceships
Any story about an independent, self-owned tramp spaceship crew tends to implicitly or explicitly raise the question of how the crew got a spaceship, how it afforded it, and why it doesn't just sell ...
0
votes
3answers
126 views
Corporate Overlord [closed]
So I have a company that currently makes about as much as like... say Apple, but is expanding in multiple markets. It's probably going to have a monopoly on several product types in the next couple ...
26
votes
13answers
11k views
Is it possible to have a wealthy country without a middle class?
I'm trying to create well-off country, which judging solely by GDP per capita would be considered wealthy with something like 60,000 USD per capita. However the country middle class is very small.
Is ...
8
votes
3answers
277 views
Which moon is most favourable as a refuelling station?
My hypothetical gas giant has five major moons. Three of those moons are icy bodies with abundant water ice and volatiles. Any of these could provide fuel for translunar spacecraft, or for spacecraft ...
1
vote
0answers
232 views
What is the limit of Graphene CPUs? [closed]
In the world I'm building, set roughly 350 years in the future, the humans have colonized the Solar System and other systems beyond using a hyperlane network discovered at the edges of the Solar ...
1
vote
3answers
222 views
Real-time planned economy with feedback
What about a society that would function the following way:
Someone creates an idea of a product or service and posts it on a special site in the Internet.
People vote for the idea indicating amounts ...
6
votes
4answers
993 views
Would it be possible to set up a franchise in the ancient world?
The night queen has invaded the northernmost part of easteros with an army of ice wightwalkers. They have surrounded a castle called summerfall, trapping our heroes inside. Various armies of different ...
4
votes
3answers
119 views
How would digital currency work on a intergalactic scale with limited FTL loopholes?
Another question got me interested in this. How would finances work when there would frequently be long delays for confirmations of transactions? Let's say there are Jump Gates/Artificial Wormholes at ...
