Editing Welcome to Freedom (section)

=== The Technocrats ===
Technocratic Strands are strands that offer assistance to a polity in maintaining the social infrastructure necessary for a high CCHR.  Economists to manage fiscal policy, civil engineers to lay out a modern capital, cultural managers to ensure the Hegemony takes notice of a polity's distinctive voice... there are countless Technocrats who endeavor to keep societies running smoothly and peacefully.

Technocratic Strands are most active within new hegemonic territories (as they require the most assistance) and the core of the Hegemony (where the Strands are the state in practice if not in fact).  Established yet non-elite polities often have a faction of varying strength that is concerned with maintaining the "distinctiveness" of the polity, and therefore limit the role of Technocrats to a degree.  In some cases, this seems to work well.  In others, it appears to stunt the development of the polity.  Since the Hegemony is generally non-coercive, it does not impose Technocrats on a society, though more than one polity has found itself politically or economically trapped into allowing a greater Technocratic presence.