Rikkalikke

Rikkalikke is a fictional social class used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to describe a group of affluent urban elites who wield outsized economic and political influence within their society. The term is commonly used in-universe to denote “the wealthy” or “plutocrats.”

In the imagined setting, rikkalikke derives from the language and urban culture of the central city-states, combining a wealth-related root with a plural suffix to signal membership by wealth and lineage rather than formal title. The concept serves as a shorthand for a networked class whose power extends beyond individual fortunes.

Membership is defined by criteria such as net worth thresholds, control of major businesses, and residence in core metropolitan districts. Rikkalikke networks organize through private councils, investment chambers, and philanthropic foundations, coordinating across sectors and often across borders. Their social routines emphasize curated events, exclusive clubs, and strategic philanthropy that doubles as social capital.

Economically, the rikkalikke influence policy through campaign funding, strategic partnerships, and ownership stakes in finance, energy, infrastructure, and media. They tend to favor stability, market-oriented regulation, and long-term investment horizons, while critics argue that such power concentrates influence, dampens social mobility, and shades public accountability.

Culturally, the rikkalikke project a polished public image through philanthropy and high-society rituals, even as their critics frame their activities as a form of soft power that legitimizes unequal arrangements. In fiction, they often appear as patrons, power brokers, or antagonists shaping national direction.

See also: plutocracy, oligarchy, wealth inequality, social class, political economy.