Oasis Cities will become reality once influential people get excited about the economic potential of self-contained, self-governing enclaves
OA-Cities would give companies in high-wage countries the opportunity to re-locate some of their activities – customer call centres for example – to lower wage enclaves within their home country, thus avoiding having to out-source such jobs to low-wage foreign countries. This would greatly enhance customer relations as people find it annoying to have to address their service problems to people living in India, the Philippines, Ukraine, or whereever.
But, as this would require changes to restrictive labour laws, OA-Cities would need the status of autonomous city states such as Hong Kong once was.
But, as this would require changes to restrictive labour laws, OA-Cities would need the status of autonomous city states such as Hong Kong once was.
Territorial leases make so much senseIt was once widely accepted that countries could lease, exchange, or even outright sell parts of their territory. And why not..? Who declared – and why – that a nations borders must be permanently cemented in place and never to be adjusted if a better arrangement comes along? Everything else has to change and adapt, so why not national boundaries as long as it is a peaceful process? But, in these politically-correct “anti-colonialist” times, the idea of a country “giving away” – even temporarily – even the tiniest slice of its territory – seems shocking to most people. But what is so shocking about a country leasing a small part of its territory when, within those same countries, individuals and organisations buy, sell, lease, and exchange land all the time..?
Territorial leases make so much sense
It was once widely accepted that countries could lease, exchange, or even outright sell parts of their territory. And why not..? Who declared – and why – that a nations borders must be permanently cemented in place and never to be adjusted if a better arrangement comes along? Everything else has to change and adapt, so why not national boundaries as long as it is a peaceful process? But, in these politically-correct “anti-colonialist” times, the idea of a country “giving away” – even temporarily – even the tiniest slice of its territory – seems shocking to most people. But what is so shocking about a country leasing a small part of its territory when, within those same countries, individuals and organisations buy, sell, lease, and exchange land all the time..?
OACities could be the catalyst for a resurgence in territorial leasing
Self-contained, politically autonomous enclaves could experiment with “business-friendly” economic policies such as…
Low or even zero income tax
Low business taxes
No employer-funded welfare contributions
No “minimum-wage” legislation
Flexible labour laws with no overtime/weekend penalty rates/holiday pay rates, etc
24/7 business operations possible
No bolshie trade unions
Each entity could have its own currency, crypto or real
“One of the simplest and most fundamental economic principles is that people tend to buy more when the price is lower and less when the price is higher. Yet advocates of minimum wage laws seem to think that the government can raise the price of labor without reducing the amount of labor that will be hired.” Thomas Sowell
If you thought the above made OA-Cities sound like a capitalist’s dream, then you might want to think again..
If you thought the above made OA-Cities sound like a capitalist’s dream, then you might want to think again..
Apartments will not be sold, but leased or allocated to employees
OA-Citizens will have much lower financial burdens
REASONABLE RENTS – non-profit co-operative ownership
LONG LEASES with security of tenure
No MOTORING or other COMMUTING expenses
No COUNCIL TAX – all services included in rent
Smaller Smarter living spaces – complete with “built-in” furniture as in boats, holiday cottages, motor homes, etc.
No costly home renovations and building extensions
Fewer visible signs of wealth – no fancy cars and outwardly similar apartments means less opportunity to flaunt wealth or status and less social pressure to “keep up with the Jones”
Greater income equality will result in a more contented populace
The “bad news” is that salaries might be 30 to 40% lower, due to….
A HUGE REDUCTION IN LIVING EXPENSES
OA-CITIZENS WILL GLADLY ACCEPT LOWER WAGES
Harmonious, stress-free environment will create a huge demand for residency, and long waiting lists
High demand will tend to drive down wages
SAFETY not SALARIES – and QUALITY OF LIFE – will be the main attraction for prospective citizens
No cars, no commuting, no mortgages, low energy bills and community charges, less furniture and household goods to buy, etc
Citizens will need a lot less money to live, and to live well at that, so logically they will be content with lower wages.
If you find it hard to believe that people will happily trade higher wages for a better lifestyle, think about those Brits who have moved to Spain…
SUNBURNT BRITSUnlike Spanish people, who move to the UK for its much better job prospects, only a tiny proportion of the 300,000 British people who live in Spain are part of the Spanish workforce. Although many are retirees, most of the younger or middle-aged ones do not even think of seeking employment due to the low wages and their lack of Spanish language skills. So they start small businesses (usually pubs and bars catering to other Brits) or do some building or service jobs, again catering exclusively to other Brits. The income they make from these enterprises is very much lower than they would accept in the UK but, because they have (what they perceive to be) a “better quality of life” and a (supposedly) more relaxing lifestyle in the sun they happily accept much lower incomes than they would be satisfied with in the UK.
SUNBURNT BRITS
Unlike Spanish people, who move to the UK for its much better job prospects, only a tiny proportion of the 300,000 British people who live in Spain are part of the Spanish workforce. Although many are retirees, most of the younger or middle-aged ones do not even think of seeking employment due to the low wages and their lack of Spanish language skills. So they start small businesses (usually pubs and bars catering to other Brits) or do some building or service jobs, again catering exclusively to other Brits. The income they make from these enterprises is very much lower than they would accept in the UK but, because they have (what they perceive to be) a “better quality of life” and a (supposedly) more relaxing lifestyle in the sun they happily accept much lower incomes than they would be satisfied with in the UK.