Local autonomy

Local autonomy is a characteristic of a province, reducing its utility. It shows how much the current province is "tied" to the current government, and how much it really is part of the country as opposed to favoring self-rule (Although the government considers a cored province part of a nation, the local populace might not consider itself part of the government/nation).

A province at 50-60% autonomy for example, could be a province where the government has little to no power and leaves all its issues to the local populace. However, in return, that province will offer less to the government itself as shown below. Its effects make the integration of conquered provinces more gradual and offer the ruler a choice in its pace, and simulate the limits to central rule in faraway overseas provinces.

Effects

Local autonomy applies multiplicatively, rather than additively. This majorly impacts how local autonomy affects a nation. A +50% manpower boost in a 50% autonomy province would thus yield an increase of only 25% of the base value.

It is advised to keep autonomy at a low point, because it affects most of the output of a province.

Each percentage point of local autonomy has the following effects on the province:

Multiplicative effects:

	−1.0%	Local manpower modifier
	−1.0%	Local sailors modifier
	−1.0%	Local tax modifier
	−1.0%	Local production efficiency
	−0.5%	Local trade power
	−1.0%	Land force limit modifier
	−1.0%	Naval force limit modifier

In trade company provinces the following effects are used instead:

Multiplicative effects:

	−1.0%	Local manpower modifier
	−1.0%	Local sailors modifier
	−1.0%	Local tax modifier
	−0.5%	Local production efficiency
	−1.0%	Land force limit modifier

Additionally in both trade company and non-trade company provinces:

−0.33%

Province warscore cost

The effect of autonomy on province warscore cost is added after all positive warscore cost modifiers are added.

Autonomy also affects how fast a nation can enact government reforms, because the reform progress is reduced by the nation's average autonomy level; hence the lower the autonomy the faster the progress - the tooltip states the formula as being: "+1000 progress per year divided by (12 x (100 + average autonomy%)". For example. high autonomy of 60% would be +1000/1920 (where 12x160) or 0.52 per month. Whereas low autonomy of 10% would be +1000/1320 (where 12x110) or 0.76 per month.

The average autonomy is calculated considering all provinces, including trade companies and territories, and is a weighted average of each province's development and its local autonomy. Accordingly, having many trade companies and territories early on will materially slow down government reform progress. Having as many fully cored states as possible with close to 0% autonomy in each will fast-track the progress. It may therefore be a worthwhile trade-off to live with spawning rebels from the reduction in autonomy in one's states as the price to gain reforms faster.

Initial autonomy

When annexing a province, its autonomy level will be set to a fixed amount, unless it is already at a higher level:

• Diplomatic annexation of a subject: 60% on provinces the overlord has no pre-existing core on
• Conquest of a province the conquering nation does not have a claim on: 50%
• Conquest of a province the conquering nation has a claim on: 40%
• Reconquest of a province the conquering nation has a core in: 0%
• Inheriting a kingdom through personal union: 0%

A nation's capital province will always have a local autonomy of 0%.

Minimum autonomy

In some cases, a province will have a minimum autonomy. Local autonomy can never be lower than:

• 0.5% per point of corruption
• 25% from the estate privilege "Estates Statutory Rights"
• 50% for a province in a state with only a territorial core.
• 90% for a province in a territory.

In provinces with a minimum autonomy modifier, there is also a “hidden” level of autonomy that could be lower. This “hidden” autonomy declines over time, although it is not displayed in the game. For example, the player conquers a province where the player has a claim, and the provinces initial autonomy (before conquering) was below 40%. Since the player has a claim on that province, real (but “hidden”) autonomy is set to 40%. But if the province is a territory, its minimum autonomy will be 75%.

NB: If the player chooses to raise autonomy (manually OR by event) while the province is still a territory, from 90% → 100% then the virtual autonomy will be raised to 100% too! If the player waits until the province is cored and made a state, its minimum autonomy floor will be removed, lowering the province autonomy to its virtual value, which is either 40% if there is a claim, and 50% if there isn't a claim. Now the player can raise autonomy to 65%/75% without suffering an extra +10% autonomy unspoken "penalty".

Effects that reduce the minimum autonomy

None of these effects apply to full cored states

	applies to	Conditions
−0.2%	only in territories	per 1% of hegemon power for the economic hegemon
−10%	only in territories	Regional representation government reform for monarchies
−10%	only in territories	Bureaucratic apparatus government reform for republics
−10%	only in territories	Fully Expansionist
−10%	only in territories	American idea 7: Empire of Liberty
−10%		State house in a province that produces paper, glass or gems.
−5%		State house
−5%	all provinces in the same trade company region, no matter who owns them	Trade company investment Governor General's Mansion.
−10%/−15%	only in territories	Harmandir Sahib Great project level 2 and 3 with Dharmic religion
−5%/−10%	only in territories	Imperial City of Hue Great project level 2 and 3 with one of the required religions

Changing autonomy

If the hidden local autonomy of a province is currently 75% or lower, the province owner may increase its local autonomy level by +25% in exchange for -10 unrest. Local autonomy can also be decreased by -25% at the cost of +10 unrest provided it's not below 10% autonomy and not already at the minimum autonomy of the province. The decision to change autonomy levels will be in effect for 30 years, during which time the autonomy cannot be actively adjusted again. This cooldown may be reduced by 50% with the ‘Efficient Autonomy’ ability during the ‘Age of Absolutism’. (Note: Ongoing cooldowns are not affected.) If a province changes owners, both the modifier from adjusting autonomy and the timer are reset. Some ideas also reduce the autonomy change cooldown.

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
−25%	California Native traditions	Navarran idea 7: End of the Fueros	—	—

Monthly factors that can change autonomy are:

	Government Reform
-0.200	Revolutionary Empire Revolutionary Republic Revolutionary State
-0.075	Prussian Monarchy Stratocratic Administration Presidential Dictator Military Dictatorship
-0.050	Tsardom Centralized Bureaucracy A Loyal Consulate Protectorate Parliament Colonial Government
-0.025	Mamluk Government

	Conditions
−0.2	Town hall
−0.1	Courthouse
−0.1	during peacetime
−0.1	during unconditional surrender
−0.1	a province producing chinaware
−0.05	at 100% crown land
−0.05	parliament with “Administrative Reform” as active issue
−0.05	ruler with the Lawgiver trait
−0.05	as Inti country or with Inti as secondary religion
−0.05	as Emperor of China after “Delegate Zongdu” reform
−0.05	having empire rank
−0.05	province in a state with prosperity
−0.03	province in a state with the “Centralization Effort” edict active
−0.025	having kingdom rank
−0.01	Mughals with assimilated West African culture
−0.01	between 75% and 99% crown land
+0.05	during Bankruptcy
+0.1	between 10% and 19% crown land
+0.2	between 5% and 9% crown land
+0.3	between 1% and 4% crown land
+0.4	at 0% crown land

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
−0.075	—	Anhalt idea 2: The Branches of Anhalt	—	—
−0.050	Ethiopian traditions	Economic idea 5: Centralization Aragonese idea 6: Reforming the Administration Asturian idea 6: Unify the Provinces Ava idea 7: Rein in Provincial Governors Betsimisaraka idea 4: Gifts & Hostages Castilian idea 7: Nueva Planta Cebu idea 4: Pacify the Islands Danish idea 7: Danish Absolutism Dithmarscher idea 6: Ecclesiastical Orders Garhwali idea 1: Legacy of the 52 Garhs Great Qing idea 6: The Viceroyalties Hatakeyama idea 5: Wakae Castle Imerina idea 1: Unify the Inland Kingdoms Kamilaroi idea 6: Familial Law Kikuchi idea 6: Three Chief Retainers Kono idea 4: Yuzuki Castle Larrakia idea 3: Larrakia Dreaming Latgalian idea 7: Reduction of Noble Lands Mahri idea 7: Rein in the Chiefs Mainzian idea 5: Perpetual Privy Council Mori idea 4: Three Arrows Moroccan idea 7: Curb Tribal Power Mossi idea 4: The Nakomse Nepalese Princedom idea 7: End the Division of Domains Saxe-Lauenburg idea 6: Lauenburg Centralization Sistani idea 3: Subjugation of the Tribes Tokugawa idea 5: Matsudaira Branches	Jolof ambition Lusatian ambition Southwestern ambitions	Diplomatic-Economic: The Dissolution Act Espionage-Expansion: The Loyalty Act
−0.030	—	Colognian idea 4: Prime Minister of Cologne Trierian idea 4: Landesburgen	—	—
−0.025	—	Aristocratic idea 3: Local Nobility American idea 7: Empire of Liberty	—	—

Completing missions and some events can also give adjustments to autonomy.

Further, some actions can directly affect the autonomy of a province:

Type	Effects
Manually decreasing autonomy with the “Decrease autonomy” button	−25 autonomy
Magnate rebels successfully sieging a province	+5 autonomy
Peasant, cossacks, lollard, noble, particularist, tribal rebels successfully sieging a province	+10 autonomy
Demands of ikko-ikki or ronin rebels are accepted or enforced	+10 autonomy in all provinces
Parliament bribe “Grant local autonomy”	+20 autonomy
Demands of religious rebels of a different religious group, heretic, or noble rebels are accepted or enforced	+20 autonomy in all provinces of that rebel faction
Demands of peasant rebels are accepted or enforced	+20 autonomy in all non-overseas provinces of that rebel faction
Demands of magnate rebels are accepted or enforced	+25 autonomy in all non-overseas provinces of that rebel faction
Manually increasing autonomy with the “Increase autonomy” button	+25 autonomy
Demands of particularist or tribal rebels are accepted or enforced	+30 autonomy in all provinces of that rebel faction

Footnotes

Mechanics

Customization

Nation designer • Random New World

Ages and Institutions

Ages • Institutions

Innovativeness and Technology

Innovativeness • Technology

Defense

Fort • Zone of control