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When a planet needs certain imports from other worlds to survive, such as food, does the planet pay for it? Does the Administratium compensate the exporting world? Are they simply told that they require this much of your Global production be sent to another world?

I'm sure that seeing as every planet in the imperium pays a tithe to the Administratium they most likely handle all or most of the import/export business.

I don't think GW ever explained this in detail, but given that this is 40k, I would presume that "it depends".

We know that some worlds pay their tithe in resources. This could be given to other Imperial worlds deemed of strategic importance, such as Hives and Forge-Worlds, where it would be put to use for the manufacture of armaments for the Imperial forces or for being processed into other goods, and likewise also to feed the many workers that toil in these factories. Perhaps they receive their payment, or at least part of it, not in local currency but food or scrip? This is how mining outposts used to work in the US back when the various settlements still were not as connected as they are today, or so I've read.
Speaking of scrip, the Administratum could also use vouchers as payment for members of the various Adepta, perhaps with some sort of law forcing local traders to accept them, but also with a guarantee that they could be exchanged for local currency at the governor's palace or some sort of Administratum bureau (no doubt with long waiting lines broken up by Arbites squads in riot gear at the end of the business day), where finally the Adeptus Terra would balance a world's accumulated scrip against the next tithe that would be due, substracting the amount already paid from the debt. That's an idea I got after picking up the term "scrip" in a Black Library novel and then reading up on how this worked in the real world on wikipedia.

On the other hand, there will of course also be trade where the Administratum does not have a hand in. Here it will depend on the traders involved to barder goods for goods. Some systems or sub-sectors might even have a local currency that is of use on more than a single world, though I suppose only merchants regularly tending the respective region would be interested in accumulating something as instable as "theoretical wealth" when all your paper slips, plastic coins or whatever are worth nothing at all on the neighboring systems.

Thanks, this will help me with my fluff writing.

Its better to think of the IoM as a company, were each planet is a department. Moving food or materials around is not trade it is just moving resources.

Example: Agri world A grows soy which is transported to Hive world B which makes metal ingots which are transported to Forge world C.

Planetry trade however does exist but is usually based on goods demand not money. When a world has reached is yearly tithe production anything extra is then 'owned' by the planet and can be traded with other worlds for luxury goods (ie thinks that are not needed for the planet's survival and designation.)

Example: Agri world 1 wants to make a collesuem for public entertainment and has extra food stuffs to trade. Mining world 2 has a surplus of stone and wants estra food to raise moral. The two worlds govenors then work out how much stone is worth how much food and make a trade.

Then you have the black market most used by criminals and nobles buying from rogue traders and smugglers, this will be goods as well (seeing as a world's monetary unit will most likely be of no use for a space faring trader).

Example: a Necromunda noble wants to aquire the latest on trend accessory, mondolian fire quilled fenix pet, so when he finds out a passing rogue trader has one he offers him some rare vintage durilli brandy.

Or in the case of certain individuals, such as inquisitors or space marine captains. Turn up to planet, and politely demand what you need.

 Eetion wrote:
Or in the case of certain individuals, such as inquisitors or space marine captains. Turn up to planet, and politely demand what you need.

Except it is not as simple as that. The abilities of individuals might be vast in theory but is constrained by the practical realities of politics. In theory, any Inquisitor can demand anything he wants. In practice, he cannot get away with demanding the entire wealth of Terra or the use of an entire Segmentum's fleets. If he did something like that, he would be condemned by other Imperial institutions and by his fellow Inquisitors and be branded a heretic, and his demands ruled invalid.

In practice it depends what he's demanding.

If its supplies of food weapons and not the excessive wealth of terra or segmentum fleets. And more modest requests such as use of a factory, a detachment or 2 of PDF, a supply of water to ge given/held to another planet. Nobody is going to bat an eye lid never mind being declared a heretic.

Of course if a planet misses its tithe because of a demand I'm sure there will be an investigation into why and the inqusitor would have to justify their actions. But that doesn't stop him from demanding things. Just makes him mindful of what he does demand.

It wouldn't surprise me if its completely arbitrary and up to the Administratum. More than likely they try to figure out what a planet needs to survive, maybe give a bit more if they figure it will keep a world happy/complacent, and then pocket the rest for their own purposes. Corruption and bureacracy, and all that, but they at least have to realize (in a broad sense at least.) they need to be able to keep the system running in some form if they're going to keep milking it.

Of course there are always examples of 'worlds being stripped bare/destroyed by that quest for industry and maximum output' too.. the Administratum has that whole 'clueless bureacracy' thing going...

Connor MacLeod wrote:
It wouldn't surprise me if its completely arbitrary and up to the Administratum. More than likely they try to figure out what a planet needs to survive, maybe give a bit more if they figure it will keep a world happy/complacent, and then pocket the rest for their own purposes. Corruption and bureacracy, and all that, but they at least have to realize (in a broad sense at least.) they need to be able to keep the system running in some form if they're going to keep milking it.

Of course there are always examples of 'worlds being stripped bare/destroyed by that quest for industry and maximum output' too.. the Administratum has that whole 'clueless bureacracy' thing going...

well is not really that stupid a thing to do, it makes far more sence for the IoM to mine a worlds mineral wealth a fast as possible and then move the infrastructure and people to another world. For agri worlds it is a terrible idea but for worlds with a finite amout of resourses it is a very good system.

It's worth noting there are Charter Captains and Rogue Traders who establish lines of trade, so trade exists. Most likely the answer to the question "Does it work like this, or like this?" is yes. Basic goods are distributed by the Administratum, which does its best to keep supply and demand in check. Some traders arrive independently, hoping to sell their wares to individuals. Other traders likely specialize, waiting for a planetary governor to send out a distress call demanding huge quantities of silk.

Something like food, however, is likely handled entirely by the Admin. Agri-World produces X food, pays X/Y of it as its Imperial Tithe, and then the Admin ships the TIthed Grain off to where it's needed.

Connor MacLeod wrote:
More than likely they try to figure out what a planet needs to survive,

Of course there are always examples of 'worlds being stripped bare/destroyed by that quest for industry and maximum output' too.. the Administratum has that whole 'clueless bureacracy' thing going...

You speaketh the truth! Remember that humans are also part of the tithe. For military service and service to the administratum itself as well as psykers and Marine recruits. It is said that the most important export of a Hive world is people to be used and or expended by the Imperium.

Sometimes the Administratum will decide to strip a planet well aware that it will suffer but they will do so because they feel it is needed. However the Administratum's idea of what is needed may not always be what is important.

Also the Administratum may not supply a world with all that it needs, food for example. The resulting death and starvation could reach into the billions but the Administratum views this (human lives) as an expense. This is why the tithe makes the Imperium a very nasty and brutal regime, along with other reasons, religious, ideological and political purges, slavery, no legal representation for citizens, forced conversion to the Imperial cult, no rights, no unions etc.