Princess Navina

The Princess Navina series of novels by Jim Payne includes four titles, the first three depicting the modern welfare state and the fourth depicting a libertarian society. In Princess Navina Visits Malvolia, the rulers seek "the greatest misery for the greatest number." The crowning achievement of the rulers is a "prosperity fine," a progressive tax levied as a punishment for productively serving consumers. In Princess Navina Visits Mandaat, the princess visits a land where rulers have regulated everything in order to guarantee that no suffering or inconvenience ever occurs. Even the minor activities of life in Mandaat require a permit, which accomplishes the exact opposite of the system's stated goals.

In Princess Navina Visits Nueva Malvolia, the princess travels to a colony of Malvolia that is governed according to similar principles as regular Malvolia except that Nueva Malvolia is a democracy, and the leaders portray their policies as compassionate programs to ensure fairness, help workers, and protect children. To control the populace, Malvolian rulers have developed an entertainment device known as the "occurama" that renders the populace inert. In Princess Navina Visits Voluntaria, the princess and her party find a seemingly well-run society in Voluntaria, but are unable to locate the government. There are no taxes or coercive regulations, and services such as schools, social assistance and health and safety inspections are provided by voluntary groups.