National Metrics

National metrics are the economic and social health indicators tracked for each country. They aggregate from state-level data each turn and are the primary scorecard for how well a country is performing. Bills, policies, corporate activity, and player actions all feed into these numbers.

The core national metrics#

GDP growth#

GDP growth measures the percentage change in total economic output. Corporate sector activity first produces a demand signal: owned sectors contribute their growth weighted by revenue, unowned sectors contribute a 0.5% background rate, and a 40% inertia smooths the sector signal.

The displayed national rate then runs through the output-gap model:

sectorSignal = smoothed revenue-weighted sector activity
impulse = sectorSignal - potentialGrowth
gdpGrowth = potentialGrowth + realizedChangeInBoundedOutputGap

The output gap closes over time, so a one-turn boom or contraction does not permanently reset the printed growth rate.

Unemployment#

Unemployment follows a simplified Okun's Law relationship with GDP growth relative to the country's potential growth:

• At potential: No Okun pressure
• Above potential: Unemployment falls by 0.2 percentage points per 1% excess growth
• Below potential: Unemployment rises by 0.25 percentage points per 1% shortfall

Potential falls back to 2% only when the country has no seeded value. When macro labour effects are active, wage and automation shocks add pressure after Okun. Unemployment has an 85% inertia and hard bounds of 1% to 15%.

Inflation#

Inflation is recalculated every turn (not just annually), incorporating:

• Central bank prime rate (higher rates dampen inflation)
• GDP growth (higher growth adds demand-pull pressure)
• Unemployment (lower unemployment adds wage-push pressure)
• Commodity prices (commodity cost-push effect)
• Fiscal stance (deficit spending adds inflationary pressure)
• Exchange rates (weaker currency makes imports more expensive)
• Savings flow (deposits dampen, withdrawals stimulate)

The target rate is 2.0%. Deviations trigger Chair infamy accumulation and affect all corporate margins.

State-level metrics#

GDP growth and unemployment are national aggregates. States also track many more granular metrics organized by category:

Economic metrics#

• Unemployment rate
• Median income
• GDP growth (state-level)
• Poverty rate
• Cost of living
• Small business formation

Education metrics#

• Test performance
• Literacy rate
• Workforce skill
• Education spending
• College enrollment / graduation rates

Healthcare metrics#

• Physician rate
• Health outcomes
• Insurance/access metrics

Infrastructure metrics#

• Power grid reliability
• Road condition
• Broadband access

Public safety metrics#

• Crime rate

Environment metrics#

• Carbon emissions
• Renewable energy percentage

Governance metrics#

• Corruption index

Each metric has a value and a baseline. Policy effects push values away from baseline; natural decay (0.25% per turn toward baseline) slowly pulls them back.

How metrics change#

Policy effects#

Bills that pass into law apply ongoing effects to state metrics. For example:

• A bill funding public education raises the education spending and literacy rate metrics in targeted states
• An environmental regulation lowers carbon emissions for affected industries
• Infrastructure spending improves road condition or broadband access

Policy effects are applied each turn as long as the law remains enacted.

Corporate effects#

Corporations drive several metrics directly:

• GDP growth: Your sector activity feeds the demand signal that moves the national output gap
• Unemployment: Growth above or below potential moves unemployment through the Okun relationship
• Workforce skill: Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Defense sectors have higher margins in states with higher workforce skill, and can be affected by a skills mismatch

Additionally, per-sector margin modifiers mean that state conditions feed back into corporate decisions:

Natural decay#

All state metrics decay slowly toward their baseline at 0.25% of the current deviation per turn (proportional, not flat). A metric displaced 10 points from baseline returns to within 1 point after ~920 turns (roughly 19 game years). Sustained policy and corporate effects are needed to hold metrics away from baseline.

National aggregation turn#

Each turn, after state-level updates complete:

1. State GDP growth rates are GDP-weighted into a national GDP growth figure
2. Unemployment is updated via the Okun relationship
3. Inflation is recalculated using current macro indicators
4. National metric history snapshots are saved

What players can do#

As a legislator: Pass bills targeting specific state metrics. Subsidies for specific sectors, infrastructure spending, education funding: each enacted law leaves a permanent trace in the budget and the metrics it affects.

As a CEO: Grow your corporation's sectors to drive state GDP growth. High-growth sectors in a state improve the employment situation over time.

As a Central Bank Chair: Adjust the prime rate to manage inflation and indirectly support or constrain GDP growth. The Chair's effectiveness is measured against the 2.0% inflation and 2.0% GDP growth targets.

As Governor/President: Your approval rating is partly driven by economic conditions in your country or state. Strong GDP growth and low unemployment improve your standing; high inflation and unemployment hurt it.

See also: Government Approval, Central Banks, National Budget, Corporations