Akai economics

1. What is the standard of living for the average person in your nation? (Do they have access to utilities, consumer goods, and services? What does the average home look like? Does the standard of living for average people vary greatly by geographical area?)
This varies greatly depending on which parts of the country you are in. Lazinato is the most economically prosperous part of Akai, with a resonable amount of wealth on average. The South of Akai is considerably more developed however with vast industrial regions which leave the urban and rural populations in conditions where their basic needs are supplied but little luxury is afforded. This cannot be said of the rural populations of the southern countryside and the north in general who live in intensive poverty and often working in low paying, borderline slave like conditions.

2. Who are the elites of your nation? (Are they businessmen? Nobility? Party officials? Military officers? How wealthy are they? How much influence do they have? Are they corrupt?)

Akai's oligarchical elites are a complex beast due to the considerable overlap between certain groups. Generally Akai is dominated politically by its military and intelligence services who maintain a tight grip on power, however the nobility is a constant presence in each of these - often wielding considerable influence. While some institutions are loyal and not corrupt, others are. At the highest levels corruption is often used to advance ones interests, be it nepotism or patronage. Some of the more successful cliques tend to be ones which promote skilled allies rather than sycophants as observed with Jieke's ascent to power. Some institutions such as the Geluxu exploit their connections to maintain Business is also closely tied with the aristocracy due to the aristocratic origins of many of the Jituans which dominate the Akai economy in their oligopoly. Business also maintains extremely close ties with the various powerful crime families of Akai - the Heixu or the Black Clans - to acquire extra sources of enrichment in return for access to the services of these businesses. The wealth of Akai's elite is also extremely considerable with millionaires being frequent among the aristocracy and many of the most powerful being worth billions. The Lazins in particular are immensely wealthy, partially due to their direct control over billions and also their technical ownership of all of Akai. This is further compounded by their collections of centuries of historic art, thousands of artifacts of significant value, thousands jewels and ornaments, shares in virtually all economic enterprises in Akai and to some degree beyond, control of various corporations, vast amounts of income from property among other things.

3. What is the largest sector of your economy? Tertiary, secondary, or primary? (Generally if your average citizen has a high standard of living and you have many elites who aren't part of or directly connected to the government, you can be a First World nation with a large tertiary sector. Other nations can vary quite a bit)

Akai maintains a rapidly growing large secondary sector which makes up the majority of the economy although the primary and tertiary sectors are also of somewhat significance.

4. If your tertiary sector is the largest: Since your nation has higher labor costs, where does your nation do its manufacturing? Does it pursue free trade and allow its manufacturers to outsource, risking working class unemployment? Which nations do you outsource to? Or is your nation protectionist, which means your people will buy fewer goods, your goods will be of lower quality, and you will likely export less?

n/a

5. If your secondary sector is the largest: Where does your nation get its raw materials? Bear in mind that the more sources of raw materials you have, the lower prices you'll probably enjoy.

Akai is fortunate in its excessive natural resources, which have brought considerable misery for it at various times in its history (Lazinato's imperialistic activities in the islands of Zhaoze and Yaosai for example) however has been historically constrained from realizing its true potential due to logistical difficulties. Mountain ranges, deserts and jungles necessitate heavy infrastructure spending which has been done with the help of many "Reintegrating subjects of His Perfection."

6. If your secondary sector is the largest: Where do you export your manufactured goods to? Do you allow First World nations to outsource manufacturing to your shores?

Akai largely exports its products to whatever economies would receive their goods but in particular first world economies. However some of the older goods which are cheaper and often originally intended for domestic consumption are exported to third and second world countries if there is a surplus in those goods. Akai tries to acquire investment in its companies and uses a sovereign wealth fund. However Akai very cautiously guards its resources and control over its economy. This is expressed with careful use of tariffs, taxes and alleged collusion with the Jituans which makes Akai hostile to foreign companies trying to export into Akai markets. Akai also has fairly weak intellectual property laws which seem to be biased in the favor of native companies while also keeping the Lazin Yuan purposely undervalued to make exporting significantly easier.

7. If your primary sector is the largest: Which cash crop, mineral resource, or energy resource do you export the most? Can this resource support a national economy? (Usually only oil can make enough money to support a real nation; minerals, precious gems, and cash crops are dime-a-dozen unless your nation manages to corner the global market or something)

Akai's agricultural exports are composed of sugar, coffee and tobacco which is frequently grown in the north of the country on vast plantations which are rigorously maintained. Tropical goods ( Tea, Cotton, Cocoa, Quinine, Bananas, Plantains, Peanuts, Root crops, Corn, Fruits, Wood products,) and now genetically modified rice is increasingly introduced for export.

Akai also possesses a vast mining industry which specialises in: Iron, Coal, Cobalt,
Antimony, Corundum, Graphite, Tungsten, Zinc, Aluminium, Bauxite, Gold, Lead, Magnite, Diamonds, Mercury, Manganese, Phosphate rock, Tin, Uranium, Thorium, Rare earth elements, Coffee, Sugar, Palm oil, Rubber,

8. Based on your answers to the previous questions, come up with some major products that the largest sector of your economy exports. This will be the starting point for your market thread.
Industry:
Mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals,
Coal;
Machine building;
Armaments
Textiles and apparel
Cement
Chemicals
Fertilizers;
Consumer products (including footwear, toys, and electronics) (recent market);
Food processing;
Pharmaceuticals


9. Based on your answer to #8, figure out what resources are needed to produce them and which nations can sell them (i.e. plastics and steel for car parts, aluminum for aircraft). Note: this may not apply to certain service industries.[I]
Large industrial capacity.
Metals.
Investment.
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ECONOMICS AND INDUSTRY
GDP:
USD: 2,899,940,301,505
		GDP per capita:
USD: 13,637
		Government budget and percentage of GDP:
USD 617,687,284,221 (21.5% of GDP)
Natural resources
Iron.
Coal.
Cobalt.
Antimony.
Corundum (most of it is synthesised).
Graphite.
Tungsten.
Zinc.
Aluminium.
Bauxite.
Gold.
Lead.
Magnite.
Diamonds.
Mercury.
Manganese.
Phosphate rock.
Tin.
Uranium
Thorium.
Rare earth elements.
Coffee
Sugar
Palm oil
Rubber
Tea
Cotton
Cocoa
Quinine
Cassava (manioc, tapioca)
Bananas
Plantains
Peanuts
Root crops,
Corn
Fruits
Wood products
Industry:
Mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals,
Coal;
Machine building;
Armaments
Textiles and apparel
Cement
Chemicals
Fertilizers;
Consumer products (including footwear, toys, and electronics) (recent market);
Food processing;
Pharmaceuticals
Akai has undergone significant changes since the change in policy in 1985, moving from a state capitalist command economy towards a more market-based, mixed economy. In the Imperial address of the year 1985, Jieke announced how Akai would be changing economically away from the war economy of the 1970s and early 80s towards a policy of Zhijie (dirigisme). A combination of statist corporatism, indicative planning and economic liberalisation allowed the emergence of economic oligarchs who seized the opportunity of rebuilding their power by capitalising on Akai’s huge natural wealth. However despite the fact that the Akai economy has remained relatively in the control of the Akai state, it has not however been able to avoid the issues posed by its protectionism and has been slowing down considerably since the latter part of the late 2000s. It suffers a high concentration of wealth, in the hands of the unique economic and feudal influenced oligarchical families known as the Jituans who through their pragmatic seizure of economic power has left internal competition weak outside of new emerging markets. Jieke’s Zhije policy however has been edited in recent years by Prince-regent Sanfu in an attempt to cripple the power of the Jituans. Akai still maintains a few state industries, in the hands of the Joint-Economic Bureau under SIA Section 2 such as energy, transportation and has large shares in the defense and banking industries.

Akai’s natural resources are its greatest economic assets, it being home to vast amounts of rare earth elements, coal and other desirable commodities. The large mining industry which formed around it is often the central pillar which supports the power of the Jituans. However Akai's reliance on commodity exports makes it open to dangerous boom and bust cycles that follow the volatile swings in global prices. This threat wants to be addressed by Prince-Regent Sanfu Salong Lazin who seeks to diversify the Akai economy and allow a true to emerge which can be influenced by the Akai state. .

The Akai economy’s growth while at its peak was increasing at a rate of 3% in 2004, has been steadily decreasing and slowly stagnating in 2015 ending up at a growth rate of 0.5% today.

Akai also has a major economic asset in the form of Lazinato whose economic independence has been a great annoyance to the Jituans. They have been a gateway into the economy of Akai thanks to their particularly “Ziyou” approach to the economy which they have maintained since the early 1900s. It is highly reliant on its financial services as well as its particularly developed industry economy. It is economically the most liberal region of Akai by far, and is believed to be the model with Sanfu wishes to eventually implement.