Economies of the Diaspora

We're a long way from Washington. Mostly notes to flesh out later. One thing to keep in mind is that even most Rim states would likely be past the point basic scarcity. Of course, we ourselves on Earth have arguably been past that point for a while.

Specialisation and Universality

The world has come a long way from the 3D printers of the early 21st Century. Effective and versatile universal factories can construct sophisticated machinery in packages the size of a large household refrigerator. However economies of scale still give the advantage to mass production, and fabricators are still less efficient in time and energy than a dedicated machine tool for a given product.

Advanced electronics are notable for being difficult to produce in most fabricators, which fall short of the atomic resolutions required.

Forges of the Gods

Postie fabs are much better obviously. Nobody is sure if they have their own analogues of dedicated machinery.

Automation

Demand for excuses to have factory workers is high, but supply lags.

Raw Materials

Most elements are readily available from space and ground rocks. Fuel is hydrogen and helium except for the most backwards Rim worlds. Dust, drexlers, synthetic elements, advanced technologies and physical artwork are rare. Value of data depends on the nature of the local IP regime. What else?

Information

'Internet freedom' and 'IP law' are separate variables, though they correlate.

Political Economy

These concepts aren't exclusive but are more a toolbox of concepts to mix and match.

Capitalism

Your usual setup for backwards Rim states that don't have the production or institutions to make it obsolete.

Post-Capitalism

The end of history. Welcome to the Core!

Neosocialism

Improvements in the sciences of sociology, decision making and politics - not to mention isolation from objecting foreigners and counterrevolutionaries - have made economic planning and collective control a much better prospect than it was two hundred years ago. The calming distance of time has stripped the term of most of its political connotations, though occasional kooks still try to revive centuries-obsolete theories from either side of the Cold War.

Economies with a large proportion of fabricators for flexible response to demand are often called 'nanosocialist'.

Monopoly

Monopolistic economies are ones where control of the economy rests with a single organisation, invariably the de facto government. Technically the 'neosocialist' economies are monopolist, but the term is usually reserved to refer to societies where the planning body is seen as alienated from or hostile to the general public. Monopolies are common on colonies with failed political systems, where a strongman or conspiracy were able to seize control of the reins of government. Monopolies often shades into oligarchy depending on internal politics.

Syndicalism

A midpoint between autarkic and central planning. Democratic planning on a community level is a common option for peaceable worlds with no crises demanding central organisation but too much population density for practical autarky. It is often combined with a degree of private ownership as well.

Oligarchy

In oligarchies the means of production are mostly controlled by a small number of entities, typically including the government or governments. Oligarchies are to syndicalism as monopolies are to neosocialism, with the term used pejoratively to refer to states where the controllers do not act in the public interest.

Autarky

Autarkic economies have used modern fabrication technology to achieve self-sufficiency and independence on a household or small community level, typically returning full civilisational circle to decentralised, independent living. Such places tend to be regarded as backwards by the galaxy's urban opinion leaders, and they do produce few great works or great intellectuals, but many colonies this way aren't undeveloped, but exactly where they want to be.

Totalitarianism

The totalitarianism of 2195 is the descendant of Taylorism and the Nazi or Soviet states. In these systems, which may overlap with any other, the 'human factors' of production are as engineered and controlled as the inanimate by modern biology, psychology and AI research. This provides gains in 'efficiency', but at what many people see as a terrible costs in less quantifiable factors. The Magnates are the iconic examples of this tendency and the term has retained its pejorative tone.

Otherwise 'natural' economies may have totalitarian segments, allowing the normal population to enjoy the fruits of improved production while the costs are borne by bioroid or AI servitors. Nevertheless, in much of the Core such behaviour is seen as reprehensible or at best very morally dangerous, and outlawed. Rim states are usually both less scrupulous and less able to afford such luxuries.