Hidden Agenda (1988 video game)

The economy of Chimerica is mainly based on two export crops, cotton and coffee. The cotton industry is mainly dominated by large landowners, whereas coffee fields are mainly held by small to medium-sized coffee growers. Most of Chimerica's food (primarily corn, flour, beans, and rice) is produced by campesinos.

Later on, with development aid, individual campesinos and farmers can receive help in producing vegetables for the American market along with utilising highly mechanized agricultural techniques. The development of the economy is up to the player, and can take the form of either a free market-oriented approach in which the player would receive support and aid from the United States, or a collectivist approach which is supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba.

Central to the game is the appointment of ministers to the player's cabinet. There are four positions that need to be filled, and ministers are chosen from the three main parties. The Agriculture Minister is perhaps the most important, being responsible for determining the extent of the much-demanded land reform policies, as well as being responsible for developing the country's struggling export commodities. The next most important is the defense minister, who implements policies concerning control of the Army. The Internal Affairs Minister decides upon budgetary policies such as infrastructure development and healthcare, and the External Affairs Minister manages Chimerica's diplomatic standing on the international stage.

Ministers effectively function as tools to implement the player's decisions, rather than to advise the player upon several courses of action. Players employ both the ministers and their party's ideals when they are appointed. When using the Consultation function, the player can choose from the courses of action recommended by any of their four ministers on any issue raised, for example allowing them to accept advice from the defence minister on agricultural policy, and so forth. However, it is impossible to make a decision outside of what the ministers advise. If an "interrupt" decision comes up, or an Encounter is initiated, there are only two courses of action available: that of the relevant minister, and that of the character who is being encountered. For example, if the player is being petitioned by an army general, the only options available will be those suggested by the defence minister and the general.

The player may choose up to four ministers from the three political parties to fill their cabinet, from the "contacts" list. As each party only offers three candidates, note that the player cannot fill all ministerial roles unilaterally. The three political parties are:

• National Liberation Party: A left-wing party composed of anti-imperialist nationalists, Marxists, democratic socialists, Indigenous people, poor farmers and industrial workers, and adherents of Liberation Theology. They usually promote closer ties and alignment with Cuba, the Soviet Union, and other socialist countries. The National Liberation Party promotes a publicly managed socialist economy with an extensive welfare state, in addition to worker's cooperatives and emancipatory policies for Chimerica's marginalized minorities.

• Christian Reform Party: The only opposition party that was tolerated by Farsante. Members of the CRP are centre-left to centrist Christian democratic politicians with an established base among Chimerica's emerging urban middle class, intellectuals, and the Catholic Church, who often recommend a middle-of-the-road course of action. The party will offer the most moderate advice and are the most open to compromise, which may lead to them backing down if challenged on issues such as price controls. The Christian Reform Party advocates non-alignment in foreign affairs, expansion and protection of civil and political freedoms, and a well-regulated social market economy. It also is the party openly favored by the United States in the game.

• Popular Stability Party: As a right-wing party, the Popular Stability Party finds most of its support among privileged landowners, the wealthy, the military, and religious conservatives who previously supported the Farsante regime. This party frequently sides with the United States and other capitalist nations in foreign affairs, and has close ties to a Farsantist death squad by the name of LIMPIA. Policies of the Popular Stability Party are often supportive of unfettered laissez faire capitalism and conservative stances on social issues.