outside of war, to encourage economic co-operation, their really isn't much set up for that.
ironically, the main thing that the GM do to encourage interaction, doesn't do that, it used to, but its become more beneficial to do things a different way.
the concept of 6(?) max CEO corps another players country, and 12(?) in your own, is meant to bring large groups of players to together, sharing countries and enterprises, building on and off of each other. 2 notes here, its been a long time since i've tried to max out corps in any country, so i don't know if the numbers have changed, and i did not say Common Markets.
back in the day, you could have a Fed with maybe 2 dozen players, all filling each others countries up with CEO corps. Fed relations would usually include Feds exchanging corps with each other. imagine going to war with a Fed that you've got hundreds of CEO corps located in their country... and they in you...
for many, a CEO corp pays more to a country, but many, such as myself, do much better with out CEO involvement. when you learn how to manage a corp well, you'll make as much or more with state corps, as another persons CEOs. unless you raise taxes, which would discourage CEOs.
when i look at my own CEO in my own country, the "country resources used," is less than the profit of my state corps. Its only when i add in the 75% tax, that the CEO corps become more valuable. But who would want to set up CEOs in my 75% tax country?
further, CEOs often haphazardly build what ever, which may not fit into your own work force, or your own econ plan. and they aren't always able to match your own abilities to make profit, even with out the tax consideration.
this CEO co-operation, becomes further confused, when a player, who knows how, can easily IPO, and control hundreds of his own corps, through his CEO in his own countries, bypassing any game limitations, designed to promote co-operation.
I, of course do all these things, i can run my own econ, with out any direct tie to any other player, and be more successful than if i did. And i'm not the only one that is more successful playing by themselves, than with others.
their are a couple of other thoughts,
as i mention in relation to war, the "country resources," with the monopolies features, on the GM wish list, would introduce some economic co-operation, even with out war and "partial victories,"
and the common market system needs to be completely reworked. a player should be able to set up contracts, of a single product, with in a set quality parameter. for instance, i should be able to auto-except contracts for 140 corps, of just FMUs, of 290-330 Quality. also, being able to set a percent of your countries investment funds to just being spent on public corps in your CM, is inline with real life IF, and would allow some security for payers to IPO, with the majority of their shares being soaked up by friendly CM buddies. (rather than random asshats,)
Josias