Economic Development Commission
The Economic Development Commission (EDeC) is a powerful advisory body that was created in TN 1918 as the National Reconstruction Board (NRB) by President Anders Von Breslau. In the aftermath of the War of the Alliance, several citystates had been crippled by orbital bombing and ground warfare. The entire economy was under a war footing and a Large numbers of soldiers were returning home and needed jobs. The NRB was charged with planning the reconstruction effort and brought together business leaders, industrial unions, farming cooperatives and the national bureaucracy. In its early cycles, the NRB worked closely with similar agencies in the UMF and WFP under the aegis of the CNCS' reconstruction program. Some criticism was heard that the board was a bureaucratic nightmare or that it was yet another avenue to shift decision making from the city-states to Valeria. Still, the NRB was recognized as having achieved its mandate of ensuring the transition from a wartime to a peace-time economy. Under Kathe Adjanni's government, the NRB has not been shut down as expected. Rather, it has transformed from a postwar recovery board to a permanent commission on the economics of the league. Adjanni, elected on a pro-labor platform, was anxious to keep her promises of union input in economic decisions, while not alienating the business leaders of the League. The NRB format seemed convenient to both goals, and still provided a way to streamline economic consultation. EDeC was born. Since TN 1924, the Commission has been the main forum for debate on fiscal, economic and trade issues in the league. EDeC itself has no official power other than that the Ministry of the Treasury must consult it before establishing or modifying the annual budget. The Adjanni administration, and most especially Treasuty Minister Wilyam Benz, have made serious efforts to make these consultations meaningful, however, and press releases from EDeC get ample coverage in the business media. This attention has made EDeC the principal forum of economic influence in the League. Wilyam Benz has become a powerful figure in Norlight politics. Before he was elected to the Chamber of Valeria as part of the People's Party's Party in TN 1930, Benz had a firm background in labor organization in his native Kenema. There, he had gained the reputation among corporate leaders as a hard negotiator, but a reasonable opponent. These qualities made him a good choice to head EDeC. Over the Last three cycles, Benz has developed a friendship with Tetsuko Hatsushiba, the chief executive of Shaian Mechanics. The two men were enemies over the bargaining table in Kenema but are now cooperating to give the NLC an independent industrial base and sever its dependence on the United Mercantile Federation. This relationship has come under fire from Labor activists and other members of the People's Party who do not understand the nature of their partnership.
Structure
EDeC i s divided into a series of boards which specialize in cerTain issues or economic sectors, a l l of which ultimately report to the Advisory Board. Beyond this last board, which presents recommendations to the minister, EDeC includes the labor relations, taxation, and agricultural development boards, among others. In theory a l l these committees are supposed to have the same power and their findings and suggestions are to be included in the Advisory Board's reports. In reality. the board's influence shifts with the political wind. The Industrial Development Board, chaired by Shaian Mechanics' coordinator Tetsuko Hatsushiba, currently holds the most sway: Hatsushiba now sits on the Advisory Board and other EDeC members have been courting his favor and influence.
Public Agenda
The Adjanni administration's economic policies are currently in Rux, with pro-labor policies readjusting under the need for a "tighter ship," and increased industrial production as the league puts itself back on a war footing. Tetsuko Hatsushiba has used this need for economic renewal to present his corporation as a candidate for economic leadership in the league. Shaian has already become the major political and economic power in Kenema, and Tetsuko would like to see it assume the leadership role that Northco enjoys in the UMF.
Shaian uses a caste system of labor organization similar to the Paxton Arms model, and the coordinator feels this could be applied to most labor relations issues in the league. Labor unions are opposed to such a transformation, but the Kenema-based Affiliated Workers' Union has spoken in favor of limited caste models, pointing to guaranteed job security as compensation. Minister Benz and President Adjanni are listening to these proposals with increasing interest. They are also seeking to strengthen Shaian's international position as a counter to Northco. The most recent agreement on this level has been the contract for the Lion, a new Shaian Mechanics Gear aimed at the Norlight Armed Forces and designed to compete with the Northco Jaguar.
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