Vetalia

General

The SSR of Vetalia is a massive nation of over 370 million people and the dominant superpower of its planet. Following the successes of the Communist Revolution in 279, the nation has begun an aggressive program of economic development stemming from its use of central planning to coordinate industrial and commercial growth. The nation is active in promoting its ideology worldwide, and the new military buildup has caused concern among other nations, particularly bordering states. Vetalia's Communist Party is keen on avoiding the mistakes of the past and wants to achieve "developed socialism", although its commitment to these ideas is uncertain.

Government

Vetalia is a

Culture

The Revolution of 279 greatly disrupted Vetalian cultural expression, but aggressive development since the start of the Fifth Seven-Year Plan (310-317) has led to a revival of most styles of expression. Numerous venues have been renovated, and new ones constructed across the nation, particularly in economically underdeveloped areas. Nevertheless, Vetalian culture remains under the jurisdiction of the Communist Party and expression is limited; the loosening of these rules since the end of the Leria era have revitalized

Economy

Overview

Vetalia is an immense nation whose economy is almost entirely state controlled. However, unlike most other centrally planned states it allows some private ownership of property. These rules are limited to a house no larger than 1,500 square feet, a plot of land 10 acres or smaller, or a business employing no more than 15 workers. Anything larger than this is state owned, and in certain sensitive industries this privilege may be revoked or reduced. In the case of housing, in order to prevent the development of a strong private housing market, the government has established "urban zones" that prohibit private construction within 30 miles of cities with populations of 100,000 or more; although this is not particularly troublesome given Vetalia's extensive investments in road and rail lines since the Second SYP, the concentration of large industrial and commercial centers near cities limits the amount of private construction in these regions. However, these private houses have made a significant contribution to maintaining the quality and quantity of Vetalian housing stock.

Vetalian Economic Development

A unique feature of Vetalian state planning is its emphasis on a balance between sectors of the economy. The Economic Balance Law in the Vetalian Constitution of 282 prohibits military expenditures from exceeding 10-12% of GDP, while investment is mandated at a minimum of 10% of GDP and has averaged between 12-17% over the past two plans. The Planning Ministry wants this share to rise to 20% by 324, but this is dependent on whether or not the country can establish trade and investment deals with the non-Communist states of the Planetary Free-Trade Commission. The close ties between the Vetalia-sponsored Comecon and the PFTC, as well as the limited opportunities for private investment at a small scale, have both encouraged decent relations between the two states. Due to its already-developed agricultural system, Vetalia has avoided collectivization, preferring instead to use alternative methods of agricultural management, including a market-based system for small farms. These small farms are usually combined in to "block farms", which collect taxes from farms depending on quality and productivity, and then use that money to purchase collectively owned equipment and supplies. Industrial production is controlled from the top, although significant freedoms for managers and greater involvement of workers in production has been a hallmark of the past two Seven-Year Plans. The use of advanced computing technology to coordinate prices within the country has alleviated some of the complexity of resource allocation, and as a result Vetalian farm production has seen growth of about 1-2% per year, slightly above demand growth and enough to prevent shortages of most foodstuffs.

Shortages An omnipresent aspect of the Vetalian economy are shortages of goods and services. Logistics problems primarily arise with more seasonal products and imports, although these shortages are generally alleviated within days although some products may be out of stock for longer periods. Long lines are a common sight in supermarkets and stores, although efforts have been made to reduce this problem. The other major issue, housing shortages, which are a problem stemming from the wartime destruction of the Revolution, have generally been addressed by the extensive construction boom since the 280's. However, this has produced large blocks of unsightly apartment towers that have had numerous quality problems. Since 310, the focus has been on improving the quality of the housing stock and refurbishing older buildings, a plan which has boosted both the quantity and quality of housing in the country. Each year, the country also issues 500,000 permits for private housing, with a planned incremental increase to 1,000,000 permits starting in 320 and continuing to 325. Nevertheless, it still lags the PFTC in overall amount of living space per capita and quality of housing. Output of consumer goods also lags the PTC, but growing exports of raw materials, industrial machinery, and vehicles have given the government the additional hard currency needed to import additional consumer goods. Some products, like coffee, bananas, spices, and sugar have seen marked increases in quality and availability since the inclusion of some equatorial states in to the Comecon in the 310's.

Vetalian GDP Growth