If I had billionaire money, I would buy EVE Online and spin off a project: a set of isolated but mirrored galaxies (shards), each with an enforced economic system. After two or so years, I would then allow players to leave their home servers and interact with the other galaxies, doing trade, politics, and war with each other. After another two years, tally up the player QOL and count for each of the servers to determine which economy was most successful.

That would let us simulate the economies by themselves, then see how they interact on even footing.