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Pentapolis: Difference between revisions
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==Politics and Administration== | ==Politics and Administration== | ||
==Economy== | ==Economy== | ||
Whereas the mainland Hendalarskara economy is dominated by state and coöperative ownership, the Pentapolitan economy is far more deregulated and run on essentially ''laissez-faire'' lines. Although neither state nor coöperative enterprises are outright illegal - Hendalarskara law would not permit this even in a region as autonomous as the Pentapolis - they are strongly discouraged and liable to be bankrupted by privately-owned competitors whenever they emerge. Trade unions in the Pentapolis are also tightly bound in the actions they can lawfully undertake, with solidarity strikes and wildcat strikes both illegal and high turnout thresholds for ballots to be considered valid. Almost all facets of economic life in the Pentapolis are privatised, from public transport to pensions, with the conspicuous exception of education, which is managed by each Pentapolitan city and is supported even by the private sector for its value in generating a trained and skilled labour force. | |||
The Pentapolis' present-day prosperity is derived from its function as an economic linkage between the relatively autarkic Hendalarskara economy and the wider world, with competitive advantages in both directions. Farming is almost non-existent on the islands, partly due to their oceanic climate but mainly due to the influx of enormous quantities of cheap Hendalarskara agricultural produce, although much of Hendalarsk's blue-water fishing industry - such as [[Nagy István Vandarhalászatok]] - is headquartered in the archipelago. Lighter regulations make the Pentapolis a more competitive export market than most of the wider Hendalarskara economy, although goods produced for consumption on the Hendalarskara mainland must abide by Hendalarsk's far more stringent regulations; this inconsistency has lain at the heart of many commercial disputes between the Pentapolis and the metropole. The five cities are home to a small but specialised manufacturing base, with a particular emphasis on both military and civilian shipbuilding and shipbreaking; Pentapolitan vessels are considered (at least by Pentapolitans themselves) to be the finest on the Vandarch, with the [[Great Shipyard]] of [[Jendaburg]] one of the largest and oldest anywhere in the region. | |||
Beyond this signature industry, the Pentapolitan economy is largely service-driven. The Pentapolitan Stock Exchange in [[Hukenen]] is an order of magnitude larger than its counterpart in [[Frehmenwerth]], with many Hendalarskara businesses - including even the nation's sovereign wealth fund - represented on the Exchange as a means of increasing liquidity and soliciting foreign investment. The Pentapolis, via a windfall tax levied since the Great Bargain, is also a key source of foreign currency for the Hendalarskara state, a resource pool swelled by the role of the ever-growing Pentapolitan tourism sector (and its close cousin the gambling industry). Gambling in Hendalarsk proper is extremely tightly controlled, with a low absolute limit on the total monthly stakes any individual can place. These limitations do not exist in the Pentapolis, with [[Miledaas]] in particular (in)famous for its casinos and the near-omnipresence of betting terminals even in relatively sedate settings such as cafés and gyms. Tourists therefore come from far and wide to gamble in Miledaas; the [[Captain's Casino]] in the city centre is one of the largest in [[Levantia]], with an annual revenue in the billions. Online gambling firms headquartered in Miledaas enjoy almost no regulatory oversight, which is a source of both increasing concern in Hendalarsk proper and abroad and enormous wealth. All five Pentapolitan cities market themselves as luxury tourist destinations, with their ports able to accommodate even the largest cruise liners for refits and archipelagic excursions, although Miledaas has also acquired a reputation as a regional hub for nightlife, party tourism and - more controversially - sex tourism, the latter of which has drawn the ire of mainland politicians such as [[Judka Haller]] and even some groups in the Pentapolis itself. | |||
==Demographics== | ==Demographics== | ||
==Culture== | ==Culture== | ||