July 30th, 2024

What could a future sovereign Mars economy look like?

Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra's study outlines conditions for a self-sustaining Martian economy, emphasizing full reserve banking, capital ownership diffusion, and limited Earth involvement to ensure long-term sustainability and stability.

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What could a future sovereign Mars economy look like?

A recent study by Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra explores the potential for a self-sustaining, sovereign economy on Mars, independent from Earth. The study outlines five conditions necessary for Mars to function as an independent entity, including the complete relinquishment of Earth citizenship by settlers and restrictions on Earthlings' involvement in Martian affairs. Dr. Haqq-Misra proposes an economic model that emphasizes full reserve banking, which avoids the risks associated with fractional reserve systems, and advocates for the diffusion of capital ownership to prevent the centralization of power and wealth. This model aims to ensure financial and political stability on Mars while eliminating capital exchange with Earth. The study also addresses the implications of tourism, suggesting that tourists should not own capital on Mars and that currency transactions should be limited to goods exchange. The establishment of a sovereign economic system is deemed crucial for long-term sustainability, with the need for adequate infrastructure and resources highlighted as significant challenges. Dr. Haqq-Misra emphasizes the importance of planning and agreement on economic systems before human arrival on Mars to facilitate a smooth transition. While the prospect of human settlement on Mars is on the horizon, achieving a fully independent economy may take decades, necessitating foresight and preparation to ensure the viability of a Martian society. The study aims to provide insights into governance and economic systems that could inform both Martian and Earthly practices.

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By @peremptor - 7 months
A thing I have never undestood with the whole "lets build colonies/civiliazation on mars" plans is the following mabye someone here with more expertise can chime in:

Mars is a planet that is VERY hostile towards (human) life at the moment. As far as I know we do not even have the remote technical capabilites to do stuff like terraforming to make marss inhabitable. So that means we would have to create closed constructs that protects humans.

Lets assume, that we have the technology to contruct settlements that are capable of sustaining humans up there. Couldnt we just use the same technology to remain on earth no matter how hostile climate change makes it towards humans ?

Even in the worst case scenarios for climate change. Earth will still look like a paradise in comparison to a "good" day on mars.

By @lolc - 7 months
When I read "Mars economy" in the title I thought they'd expand on how resources could be extracted economically to sustain human life. Oh boy they just babble about some monetary policy which wouldn't help anybody breathe or eat. It's the smallest problem on Mars, but one with a solution I guess.

And I second the recommendation of "A City on Mars" as mentioned by another commenter here.

By @JumpCrisscross - 7 months
TL; DR An astrophysicist aims to describe an autarkic monetary system and mixed economy but winds up mostly complaining about fractional-reserve banking and inequality in the most generic terms. Nothing here is stupid nor useful. (There is a little nonsense, e.g. "monetary policy on Mars is somewhat easier because the carrying capacity is exactly constrained by the physical infrastructure," because as we all know tiny islands' monetary systems are always the most robust. But for the most part nothing is ridiculously wrong.)

Replace Mars with North Korea and Earth with the rest of the world and his paper reads coherently, though Pyongyang isn't quite as harsh as the author, e.g. "tourists cannot bring Mars currency back to Earth."

By @kemotep - 7 months
The author makes no sense when they dismiss a Marxist approach to economics but then describes that capital will be diffused amongst everyone (so everyone owns a piece of the means of production aka Marxism).

Banking is going to be the least of the Martian colonist’s worries for the first several decades if not the first century. Mars could be a sovereign nation or set if sovereign nations but why the insistence on absolute separation from the people on Earth? Even just trading scientific research for water would be massively beneficial for the people on Mars.

By @theothertimcook - 7 months
Could look like Titanic wreck tours.
By @hulitu - 7 months
See Total Recall
By @01HNNWZ0MV43FF - 7 months
Expensive oxygen