BackworldTraveller
SOC-13
For small outposts, the official government and the effective government may be very different. e.g. The commonwealth of Massachusetts was officially governed by the appointed governor from England with recourse to the English legal system. For many years, 9/10 issues were resolved locally. How many Shaker complaints in Canterbury, NH were referred to the state courts as opposed to being solved by the community leaders internally.
Where I live, there are at least 4 layers of government...not all are relevant to day-to-day life or paid much heed to most of the time...but you wouldn't believe the complaints when they don't do what is needed. The Bey of Tangiers was officially a subject of Istanbul. But I don't think the various office holders were famous for their actual close ties to the place. A corporation may be run by a local board that is democratic, autocratic or just bureaucratic. All are corporate but act differently. A corporation is actually acting within the jurisdiction of a given legal framework. The imperium is somewhat jealous of this and dislikes planets enforcing their local control at a distance. This mitigates against centralisation to '6'. Ask someone in Alaska which state they belong to and they will be clear. Ask them who fixes the bear in the yard and you get a very different answer.
Where I live, there are at least 4 layers of government...not all are relevant to day-to-day life or paid much heed to most of the time...but you wouldn't believe the complaints when they don't do what is needed. The Bey of Tangiers was officially a subject of Istanbul. But I don't think the various office holders were famous for their actual close ties to the place. A corporation may be run by a local board that is democratic, autocratic or just bureaucratic. All are corporate but act differently. A corporation is actually acting within the jurisdiction of a given legal framework. The imperium is somewhat jealous of this and dislikes planets enforcing their local control at a distance. This mitigates against centralisation to '6'. Ask someone in Alaska which state they belong to and they will be clear. Ask them who fixes the bear in the yard and you get a very different answer.
