Caldari Political Factions

Unlike the Federation, the State does not have any organized political parties, largely due to the fact that only megacorporate boards represented on the Chief Executive Panel (and through them, megacorporate shareholders) have any direct influence on Caldari politics. However, as described in brief in this document, the "Big 8" Caldari megacorporations that make up the CEP can be broken down into three major political factions. It should be noted that there is significant variation in opinion within each faction, and that corporations generally accepted to belong to one faction may have minority shareholders with different leanings; when one says that a corporation is "patriot," that only means that the prevailing opinion among the board of directors and corporate officers tends towards that faction. In many corporations, there is a significant amount of political infighting, making the overall situation murky at times. However, due to a strong consolidation of shares in the hands of relatively few major shareholders, most megacorporations are not likely to swing from one faction to another without drastic changes in the political landscape.

In general, the three labels applied to the Caldari political factions -- Liberal, Patriot, and Practical -- have been given to these factions by the media and political scientists, and are not formal associations. Though some corporations, like Sukuuvestaa, have publicly accepted those designations, it is by no means universally accepted. A political scientist at the School for Applied Knowledge has even suggested an alternative naming scheme for the factions, likening them to "concentric circles of interest," and giving them the labels of Internationalist, Nationalist, and Corporatist. Though this taxonomy is not widely used, it demonstrates the ambiguity inherent in the situation.

Liberal

Liberal corporations have the widest "area of concern." In general, the Liberal Caldari corporations are generally more outward-focused and concerned with international relations and have the philosophy of "a rising tide floats all boats." They will generally take a smaller profit if it will mean a better benefit for all parties down the road, and are generally interested in maintaining a peaceful detente with the State's neighbors in order to promote free trade. They are less concerned with military funding than the Patriots, though they are the biggest supporters of CONCORD within the State, and much more concerned with a free and stable market than the Practicals.

Liberal corporations also tend to be the strongest supporters of the Caldari Business Tribunal in the CEP, and as a result have strong representation among CBT justices. It should be noted that despite the name, Liberal Caldari corporations are not in any way similar to the socialist or democratic parties that may bear the name in other nations; Liberal corporations still hold the power of the CEP and the megacorporations to be supreme in the State, and have little interest in seeing their own power diluted within the State. By Federation standards, for instance, Liberal corporations are still quite politically conservative, though their economic positions are similar to those of more libertarian parties.

Patriot

The Patriot faction is primarily concerned with the Caldari State, and generally takes a hands-off policy with regard to other nations. Patriots favor a strong military for defense and tend to be the most reactionary of Caldari policy makers, keeping a watchful eye on the State's neighbors, who they trust very little (even allies like the Empire). Perceived slights against the State or its citizens and member corporations are likely to be reacted to strongly, and the Patriot faction believes that diplomatic efforts can only be made from a position of strength. In terms of economic issues, the stability of the Caldari economy is paramount, with turbulence in foreign markets tolerable as long as it can be contained. Patriot corporations tend to take a dim view of infighting in the CEP, and generally believe that competition between the megacorporations should never trump the security of the State itself.

The Patriot faction holds the strongest position in the CEP at this time, mostly because they share common interests with both the Liberals and Practicals, allowing them to play the part of power broker within the Panel's chambers. Furthermore, the Patriot faction enjoys a great deal of popular support due to their militarist and nationalist stance, something still at the forefront of the Caldari consciousness even a century after the fight for independence; despite the fact that there is no direct democratic power in the State, this means that Patriot corporations tend to have a much better reputation, translating to generally better market share and stronger stock prices.

Practical

Practical corporations are inwardly focused, generally only concerned with their well-being and to a lesser extent the security of the State. Competition with the other megacorporations is commonplace, even among the Practical bloc itself, and generally the only reason they cooperate is when they will profit most from it (or when their own interests are seriously threatened). They have few concerns for the stability of the wider market, so long as their own interests are secure, and Practical corporations generally engage in the most espionage of the Caldari megacorporations, even against other Caldari megacorporations, often seeking to destabilize the market in order to benefit from it themselves. Many cooperate with organized crime organizations in some capacity in order to conduct these operations and in order to expand their business interests.

Practicals push the boundaries of research ethics in many ways as well, often giving them an edge on their competitors; however, they are aware of the Tribunal's oversight and generally do not do anything outright illegal, something made significantly easier by their position in the State's lawmaking body. It should be noted that Practical corporations are not mustache-twirlingly evil or publicly screwing over their customers at every turn -- such an approach would hardly last long in the marketplace. Their machinations are usually among the most subtle of the megacorporations in actuality, and often try to use political maneuvering to get others to do their bidding instead of taking risks themselves. The Practicals most often butt heads with the other two factions on foreign relations matters, as they are prone to take unilateral actions in foreign markets without consulting the rest of the CEP.