Capitalist benevolence

Capitalist benevolence is an economic theory or system based on private ownership of the means of production coupled with business involvement in social protection programs. The level of involvement ranges from corporate contributions for pensions or healthcare to complete responsibility for those types of benefits.

Background

Industrial worker housing from the early 1900s

In Ventora, the nobility had long felt a sense of inferred responsibility for those on their estates in as much as those who lived on the nobles' lands had an obligation to the landowner. Originally a general abstraction, the concept began to slowly develop after Queen Emiliana issued the Canon of Obligations in 1282. Having some foundation in the virtue ethics exemplified by the views of good and evil in H'Ejrad, Ventoran nobles began to accept a sense of social responsibility, including beyond their holdings. Even Sortisists, who ascribe to the concept of one's fate is predetermined, rationalized the concept as a means of "making that fate as endurable as possible." By the 18th century, the notion of noble benevolence had become commonly accepted.

Toward the turn of the 19th century, some businesses in Ventora began offering some employee benefits. Beginning with, and largely limited to, manufacturers and mining concerns, the companies sponsored sport and social clubs, for example. Mining companies were the first to offer housing to their workforce followed by basic medical care. Some blue-shade movements referred to this trend as industrial paternalism. Nonetheless, since most businesses in Ventora at the time were owned by the nobility, capitalist benevolence has its basis in the commonly held concept of the time regarding noble responsibility for so-called commoners, in this case their workers. Thus, capitalist benevolence is, essentially, an extension of noble benevolence. It arose, at least in part, in response to Wheelerism, a blue shade political and social movement, since Ventora's growing trade with east Alutran countries exposed sailors to such blue concepts. Restorationism played a role in the development of capitalist benevolence, but largely in its pro-buffist views, which fit the political and economic realities of Ventora in the mid-19th century.

By the mid-1800s, elements of capitalist benevolence could be seen in several countries to greater or lesser extent. In its homeland, Ventoran companies expanded to providing disability pensions and, by late-century, old age pensions and paid holiday time. There was experimentation with so-called company towns in other locations and some adherents to capitalist benevolence provided for some measure of profit-sharing with their workers. The face of capitalist benevolence varies based on the locale, the industry, and even the owners. Housing and so-called company stores were common provisions in mining communities which tended to be isolated from the rest of the country. Even so, countless modern-day housing in Ventora has its basis in the provision of 19th or 20th century worker housing for a variety of industries, including in urban areas.

The hardships resulting from the First World War would solidify the importance of capitalist benevolence, at least in some monarchies, due to their industrial models and the need for labor during the war. This remained true during the Second World War. In the modern era, capitalist benevolence is more mid-spectrum, combining aspects of blue and buff philosophies.

Capitalist benevolence in practice

Ventora

21st century Ventoran mining company housing

Admittedly, the concept of capitalist benevolence developed in Ventora, but it has since become an important aspect of the country's social protection scheme. Although not, specifically, part of the country's open market economy, capitalist benevolence has become a key element of Ventora's social structure.

Businesses provide the bulk of funding for disability pensions and social insurance programs such as old age, unemployed assistance, and healthcare trust schemes which are typically privately and separately administered in Ventora. The system is a form of social corporatism although worker subscriptions are also part of the funding mechanism. Workers typically have options for choosing their programs from among several providers. Because the providers are normally independent of most employers, benefits follow individuals who change employment. Nonetheless, non-transferable benefits, such as company housing, remain as significant worker benefits in extractions industries, such as mining, even when those "benefits" might be considered austere.

Ventora has found an unexpected advantage of the system. Employers have a vested interest in ensuring safe workplaces and keeping workers employed in order to reduce their expenses for social welfare. Similarly, many businesses encourage healthy lifestyles and offer such amenities as workout facilities. Additionally, the individual work ethic and general attitude of most workers is quite good despite the fact their wages are relatively small. Scholars attribute this to their basic needs being met in the forms of affordable housing and food as well as healthcare and retirement provisions.