Social Reforms

[jayswimmer]

Hey Guys,

What are your thoughts on when to invoke social reforms and how? I was just in the middle of a game starting as Sardinia-Piedmont turning into Italy. By about 1890, I was getting +.08 MIL for each social reform, but the cost was near 180K for each to go full. It became totally unmanageable when I had conservative parties that would get me money, but no reforms and liberal parties that allowed reforms but bled me dry for lack of tariffs. (sorry for the run-on sentence.)

Anyway, I was thinking about starting over and implementing social reforms early on. It will make for a slower start, but rid me of all of the insurrections. Thoughts?

Also, when you do implement social reforms, what level do you set them at? I've always been perplexed by the fact that changing to a highest level cost the same amount whether I've done nothing or I'm just one level lower. What was the reasoning for this? I don't know if I should bite the bullet and go all the way. I normally just choose "low" whenever I implement a reform.

 

[fbaker4]

Good Q. I seem to 'leg into' changes, with trinkets first, usually in Health Care and Work Safety, and then dip into unemployment and pensions and min. wages as I have the money to pay for them...typically starting around 1850 or so, and then have a nice spread of reforms by 1920 or so...

 

[henryjai]

I only use health social reforms early in game and pay as less as possible to maintain it. (it promotes pop growth and is always a good thing)

Later in game I pay for social reforms to keep the militancy low if my empire is quite multinational, or sometimes I think just cutting poor tax to 0 would work.

 

[lizardo]

Social reforms, theoretically, give you a yearly prestige boost and an immigration boost, along with reducing militancy.

Go for max health and wages early, and switch to a lazy fair political party so you don't have to pay for them.

As mentioned, 'health care' raises your population fertility. Wages increase your pop income and you can tax them more, and capitalists have more money to spend. Not sure what game effects beyond militancy the other reforms have, maybe someone can speak to that.

One of the best and underrated government types is Constitutional Monarchy, you can move political parties around as you like and only incur only a little militancy.

"If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing." - Napoleon

 

[unmerged(94581)]

I thought the effectiveness of reforms in reducing militancy is tied to your plurality? If so, wouldn't it be a waste of money to enact them early?

 

[unmerged(174869)]

If you plan on conquering heavily populated areas in india or east asia, I find you're better off enacting them early while they're cheaper.