Trekonomics: conclusions

Or, Instead of asking how let's ask: Why Abolish Money?

1. Political corruption; It costs $500 million to become President of the United States of America

2. Imagine if, with the exception of large-scale capital projects, the main uses for money were illicit or illegal ones, like buying slaves or employing a hit-man.

3.Let's say you had a situation where money was mostly worthless or an automated society put 40% of the adult population out of a job.
It is easy to imagine a situation similar to the invention of replicators in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", or in the novel "Forever Peace" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_Peace, that combines the two scenarios.
I would propose that a conservative-leaning government would be the one to abolish money for the above reasons.
Maybe?

More Trekonomics

The Economics of Star Trek part 3 / Further Trekonomics

To add a few things:
1. Tom Paris (Star Trek: Voyager) refers to the New World Economy being established in the twenty-second century

2. Gold apparently can be replicated, certainly radioactive gold can be produced in the twenty-first century by bombarding mercury with alpha particles, and it is theoretically possible to extract gold from seawater-perhaps a process of both is performed by the never seen but mentioned in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "industrial replicators"

3. Granted, Paris does replicate a necklace for Kes , but maybe it just looks like gold or is only gold-plated; or Fools Gold, iron pyrites

4. The form of credit I have conceived precludes the concepts of banking, taxation, and rent in the usual concept

5. Of course all I've done really is create a post-scarcity economy that relies on a "World State" while endorsing private property, sort of an Objectivist version of the European Union (!)

6. Although, as far as I know, they still use money on Earth and other Federation planets, they just don't pay Starfleet personnel-joining Starfleet could then be a free way to both see the universe and escape the rat race?

Trekonomics

The Economics of Star Trek, part two

I want to expand on my last post about how a post-capitalist society can still have private property, with particular respect to "Trekonomics". I talked about how citizens can have social housing or live in inherited mansions, well I would have implied that and now I repeat the assertion.
For example, one could own or perhaps rent a plot of land which one would build a house on.
One could apply for a house to be constructed to their desires free of charge but there would be a wait based on available labour and/or materials. However, the wait could be reduced by spending one's savings in labour notes.
If, on the other hand, one is effectively a homeless citizen an empty plot of land or empty property could be allocated. One could live there for as long as one desires but there would be no property rights over the land. It cannot be rented or sold.

An alternative to the labour notes system could be a lifetimes' ration of replicator credits. This doesn't contradict the previous system and the two can exist in tandem, but is more likely to cover all Federation planets. Simply put, when one is born one is allocated a lifetime's use of public replicators for basics like food, medicine and clothing. These can be earned or traded for limited goods such as antiques or real estate in the same way as money and perhaps exchanged to currencies such as latinum.

The credits and notes system can be run together, but with labour notes dominating on Earth and replicator credits dominating when a citizen goes off-world. For example they could use their credit ration to book transport off-world and exchange it for latinum if travelling outside the United Federation of Planets.
An Earth landlord could be allowed to rent property to non-family members with the renter not actually handing over credits or latinum. Instead, the landlord would receive further labour notes from the central government. Plus, lets say a citizen would still receive an allocation of replicator credits at birth.
These could be saved or used at any time but any extra rations would only apply to that week (for example) and could not be saved or carried over to the next week. Every Federation citizen would receive a weekly dole or ration of credits until they die. These credits would not be transferred to family members as an inheritance but certain Federation officials and (commissioned) officers in Starfleet would be allowed to keep their surplus rations in lieu of labour notes. A similar arrangement could be made for scientific researchers and other academics.

University students, Starfleet recruits and officer cadets would receive labour notes during study or training periods and extra weekly rations for clothing, equipment, uniforms etcetera. Enlisted personnel and civilian advisors working for Starfleet would receive labour notes for every hour of their shift plus non-commissioned officers and private landlords would be allowed to keep a percentage of their credit ration on top of received labour notes.

Notes:
1. Gold is almost worthless in the Star Trek universe, even though it cannot apparently be replicated, but it can be used to contain a valuable liquid called "latinum". Hence, "gold-pressed latinum". 
2. I have the comments made by Quark regarding the value of gold and the actor Max Grodenczeck (sic), who plays Quark's brother Rom, that gold cannot be replicated as sources for this.
3. Replicators seemingly create objects out of thin air by converting matter from one location into energy and rearranging its structure on its appearance in another.
4. Starfleet is organised in the same way as a modern Earth navy, specifically that of the United States, although is ostensibly a non-military civilian organisation.

The Economics of Star Trek

The Economics of Star Trek, or the use of labour notes.

I've often found the utopianism in the various incarnations of the 1960's television series to be not entirely convincing, especially when certain episodes seem to criticise the Counter Culture Movement, pacifism and anarchism. There are also clear canonical contradictions, especially with the introduction of the final spin-off series "Enterprise".

However, lets put these issues to the side and consider the comments of the character Tom Paris regarding the abolition of money in the late 22nd century with the creation on Earth of the New Earth Economy (I'm quoting from memory here) and my own ponderings of how a post-capitalist society could work...and I think it could work very well.

The concept here is a separation between capital and labour, in that labour cannot be exploited to increase capital but individuals are still allowed to own property like houses, starships, restaurants, paintings etc. Things of social value such as housing, healthcare, clothing and equipment such as food replicators are provided by the Earth government or possibly a Federation department such as Starfleet, while a similar arrangement could exist in a greater or lesser degree on other Federation planets. Citizens can obtain these products based on need or by an amount of provided labour to other citizens.

This can be done by the producer (a direct provider of a good or service) and the consumer both keeping a digital record of the amount of labour completed and this being kept centrally as a record of labour notes measured in hours. A citizen can build up labour notes in order to use them to obtain further consumer items or capital.

This also provides the incentive for a businessman such as Joseph Sisko to run, say, a Cajun restaurant. Even though Sisko may not make a profit it is still worth him "hiring" employees and recording the amount of labour they provide. Siko's labour notes would be the hours he opens or the hours he actually spends cooking and serving meals. The customers do not pay for their meals but Sisko makes "money" from having them or, to put it another way, it is still worth having a traditional job even though no wages are ever paid.

This doesn't contradict James Kirk's comments about selling a house or buying a boat.

Federation colonies seem to have public replicators provided by Starfleet for general use, but otherwise their internal affairs are their own.

Notes:
1. Tom Paris (lieutenant, junior grade) is the navigation officer aboard the USS Voyager throughout the series Star Trek: Voyager. He is briefly demoted to ensign for insubordination and was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a fellow cadet of Wesley Crusher at Starfleet Academy who was expelled after a fatal shuttle manoeuvre during training and although he was called "Nick" at first (for some reason) the "Voyager" character had the same backstory and was played by the same actor.

2. Joseph Sisko is Benjamin Sisko (lieutenant commander, later promoted to captain) 's father and a recurring character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.