The Dissociative State of Hardscrabble is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Dr Norvak Dolokai with a fair hand, and remarkable for its complete lack of prisons, unlimited-speed roads, and daily referendums. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic, cheerful population of 10.576 billion Hardscrabblers hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, liberal, outspoken government prioritizes Education, with Environment, Administration, and Healthcare also on the agenda, while Defense and Spirituality are ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Squash Flats. The average income tax rate is 98.6%.

The frighteningly efficient Hardscrabblean economy, worth a remarkable 2,174 trillion gold florgons a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an amazing 205,619 gold florgons, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

All statues and paintings of dogs are being destroyed to avoid offending cat-lovers, fifteen-year-olds cannot walk younger siblings to school without a professional Childcare and Education Certificate, government officials sit helplessly as they are labelled 'Pompous Womples' by celebrities, and the state pays for care of easily preventable illnesses. Crime is totally unknown. Hardscrabble's national animal is the wood shrew, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is The Church Of Charismatic Numismatists.

Hardscrabble is ranked 179,608^th in the world and 6,785^th in The North Pacific for Greatest Rich-Poor Divides, with 1.92 Rich To Poor Income Ratio.