The Lord of The Rings aside, the novels that seem to do the best job at establishing a realistic economic setting for the worlds their characters inhabit are the ones that persist for more than one book. The short stories and novels of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books have a fine economic foundation. There is competition between social classes for economic and political power on individual worlds, trade between worlds, and at the individual level, the pursuit of profit, or in some cases, the simple struggle to keep one’s head above water. Most of her books (at least the ones that don’t deal with Jackson’s Whole) aren’t focused on economic matters, but you are aware that these are characters and societies with economic concerns and desires. Similarly, David Drake’s RCN series shows a universe where both individuals and governments pursue their economic interests, and where economic worries often provide a check on ambition. The larger scope and broader view of a multi-book series gives authors more room to give their universes both depth and detail. Even a space opera (and I mean that in the best sense of the phrase) such as David Weber’s Honor Harrington series is very explicit about the way economic strength translates into military power.
An area where science fiction is traditionally very strong is depicting the effects that newly developed technologies have on an economic system. Tech growth usually leads to increases in productivity, which generally feeds economic growth. However, tech growth can also cause dislocations in an economy, as newer ways of doing things leave workers and whole industries behind. Science fiction often does a good job of depicting both the positive and negative aspects of how technological advancement affects society.
Sound economics is a useful world-building tool, even if it is just part of the background. Economic conditions can provide motivation for characters, provide challenges for characters, or simply make a world feel more realistic. And economic flavoring can be something as simple as describing the barter system in a post-apocalyptic world.
T H E E N D
Galaxy's Edge Magazine: Issue 1 March 2013 Page 22