Policies, Loans and the IMF
Hegemony's Politics table policy by policy — Fiscal Policy, Labor Market, Taxation and the Tax Multiplier, the two Welfare State policies, Foreign Trade and Immigration — plus Loans and IMF intervention.
The Politics table
Seven Policies, each in section A, B or C. In Policies 1–5, A is socialist and C neoliberal; in 6–7, A is nationalist and C globalist. Bills move a Policy one section at a time (Bills and Elections). The game starts at 1C, 2B, 3A, 4B, 5C, 6B, 7B.
| Policy | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Fiscal Policy | 9 Public Companies; IMF at 2 Loans | 6; IMF at 2 Loans | 3; IMF at 1 Loan |
| 2 Labor Market | Minimum Wage L3 | L2 | L1 |
| 3 Taxation | Tax Multiplier 3, welfare ×2 | 2, welfare ×1 | 1, welfare ignored |
| 4 Health & Benefits | Public Health free; +2 | 5 each; +1 | 10 each; +0 |
| 5 Education | Public Education free; +2 | 5 each; +1 | 10 each; +0 |
| 6 Foreign Trade | Tariff Food 10, Luxury 6; no Business Deals | Food 5, Luxury 3; 1 Deal | No tariffs; 2 Deals |
| 7 Immigration | No immigrants | 1 per class | 2 per class |
Whenever a Policy changes, apply its effects at once.
Policy 1: Fiscal Policy
Sets how many Public Companies are open (3 / 6 / 9) and when the IMF steps in.
- Growing (C→B or B→A): 3 more Public Companies open and the State pays their cost. Unemployed Workers who can fully staff a newly opened Company are assigned there at once, committed.
- Shrinking: 3 Public Companies close (face down) and the State gains their cost; their Workers — even committed ones — become unemployed.
With 4 players the State chooses which Companies open or close and which class’s Workers go where. With 2–3 players the whole next row opens (the State pays 60 ) or the bottom row closes (the State gains 60); the Worker’s owner chooses between eligible Companies, and the Middle Class chooses if both classes could fill one. If the State cannot pay, it takes a Loan.
The IMF limit: in 1C even a single Loan the State cannot repay brings the IMF; in 1A or 1B it takes 2 Loans. It is only checked in the Check IMF step of the Production Phase.
Policy 2: Labor Market
Sets the minimum Wage: 2A only L3, 2B L2 or L3, 2C any level. When it changes, every Company below the new minimum is raised at once; owners may also lower Wages the new Policy allows (never for committed Workers). With no State player, Public Companies always pay the minimum. A Wage raise forced by a Policy change does not commit Workers.
Policy 3: Taxation
Picks the Working Class Income Tax column, the Capitalist Corporate Tax column and the base of the Tax Multiplier.
The Tax Multiplier
The Middle and Capitalist Classes multiply their operational Companies by it for Employment Tax. Recalculate it whenever Policy 3, 4 or 5 changes:
- 3A: base 3, and the welfare modifiers of Policies 4 and 5 count double;
- 3B: base 2, modifiers count normally;
- 3C: base 1, modifiers are ignored.
Welfare modifiers: Policy 4 or 5 in A is +2, in B +1, in C +0.
Policy 4: Welfare State — Health & Benefits
Price of Public Health: A free, B 5, C 10 ; Tax Multiplier modifier +2 / +1 / +0. Some cards require 4A or 4B. With 4 players, put the Health Welfare tile on Public Services, A or B side up (none in C). When it changes, the Middle and Capitalist Classes may reprice their Health at once.
Policy 5: Welfare State — Education
The same for Public Education, with the Education Welfare tile.
Policy 6: Foreign Trade
Sets the tariffs on imported Food and Luxury (paid to the State, on top of the board price paid to the supply) and how many Business Deals appear in each Preparation Phase (6A none, 6B 1, 6C 2). Move the marker in the Import area when it changes; the Middle and Capitalist Classes may reprice their goods. A change during the round does not add or remove Business Deals — which is why each Deal also prints its 6A tariff.
Policy 7: Immigration
Every round the Working Class gets 2 gray Workers and the Middle Class 1 gray plus 1 skilled of its choice. On top: 7A nothing, 7B 1 more each, 7C 2 more each. Each class draws its own Immigration cards and takes the Worker of its class shown, then puts the cards under the deck.
Loans
You take a Loan only when forced to pay something you cannot: taxes, Wages, Food, interest, an effect played on you. Never to afford something optional (a Company, a card cost, goods other than Food). Take a Loan card and 50 (Capitalist: into Capital).
- Each Preparation Phase: 5 interest per Loan (another Loan if you cannot pay).
- Pay one off with the Pay Off Loan Free Action: 50 .
- At the end: see Check Loans.
IMF Intervention
If, at Check IMF, the State has more Loans than Fiscal Policy allows and cannot pay them off at 55 each:
- All proposed Bills are discarded; each class gains 1
per Bill marker lost. - The Policies are forced to 1C, 2C, 3A, 4B, 5C, 6B, 7B, with all their effects: Public Companies sold (the State gains their cost), every Wage set to L1, the Tax Multiplier and import prices updated. The Middle and Capitalist Classes may reprice.
- The State pays off its Loans at 55 each, as far as it can; the rest are discarded.
- All three Legitimacy tracks are halved (round up).
If Labor Market changed this way, the Working and Middle Classes pay Income Tax as if it had not (they were paid under the old Policy).
[C&C] With Crisis Response the revealed Crisis card replaces these steps.