CORPORATE LIFT The physical and material welfare of the population is relatively high. Productivity is high, the continuous flow of goods and services is managed by cyber systems and eagerly purchased by members of the layered middle class. The fast-moving economy ensures a high level of employment. People live increasingly longer as a result of progress in biomedical science and, no less important, the medical follow-up provided by personalized virtual assistants. Mental well-being is not that self-evident for everyone. Especially poorer elderly people find it difficult to hold their own in this commercial world.
CLIMATE CASCADE Because energy facilities pose problems for the city and its residents, it is difficult to realize a good standard of living for everyone. The large influx of climate refugees increases pressure on welfare even more. The unemployment rate in Ghent is less high than elsewhere in the country. Nevertheless, a large part of the population cannot find a job. People take matters into their own hands and join forces in local cooperatives. Micro-entrepreneurs can secure an income with their activities, but the situation of micro-taskers is less optimistic. The weakened government is forced to allow these groups free scope in an attempt to realize small-scale solutions from the bottom up.
LOCAL SENTRY Throughout Europe, the standard of living and welfare are under pressure, but Ghentians fully commit to local welfare. Fort Europe keeps out poorer (climate) refugees, but allows skilled migration. There are no double-income families. The majority of women only work as volunteers. Material luxury is limited, but most Ghentians lack for nothing. Care for the elderly and the very young is almost entirely in the hands of women - sometimes against their will - within their own families or within the neighborhood community. Life is expensive, people need to look twice at their money, but security and a sense of safety prevail. The fact that people need to be a little more economical is just part of life. A 28-hour workweek ensures that everyone has sufficient free time to make volunteer contributions to community life. Not everyone adheres to the working-hour rules, and some manipulate their social credit by exchanging points with people who don’t care about it.
ECLECTIC CURRENT Welfare in the steady-state economy, where overproduction and overconsumption are avoided, is high. The majority of Ghentians have a meaningful productive activity, often within social companies. There is a 28-hour workweek and an upper limit to the individual income. Social security is supported by locally connected production and service groups. There is holistic healthcare that pays equal attention to the environment and mental health and physical health. Artificial Intelligence supports this societal organization. Those who succumb under pressure of too much digital connectivity or can’t handle the complexity of ever-changing roles often end up in a downward spiral. These people are taken care of somehow or other, but usually lose their employment, which makes life increasingly difficult.
