How each model solves the same problems
Instead of “democracy versus anarchism”, compare the concrete ways collective problems get solved.
| Question | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How are decisions made? | Randomly selected citizens studied, held hearings and voted on a recommendation; the public then voted in a referendum with supermajority thresholds.Sortition / citizens' assembly | Unknown | A statutory authority (UIDAI) under the central government sets rules; ministries decide where Aadhaar is required; Parliament legislated in 2016 and 2019.Digital identity | |
| How are conflicts resolved? | Neutral chair, plenary votes among members, and a referendum as final arbiter. | Unknown | Grievance channels at UIDAI and service agencies; constitutional challenges in the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2017 and 2018. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Publicly funded independent assembly and secretariat, disbanded after its report. | Unknown | A universal, low-cost proof of identity used for welfare transfers, financial inclusion and public services. | |
| How is AI used? | No AI role. | Unknown | No AI in decision-making as such; automated biometric matching and deduplication decide authentication, and face authentication was added in 2018. | |
| What are the main risks? | Voters not sharing the assembly's learning; high referendum thresholds; no map of how the system would work in practice.CLM-0067 | Unknown | Exclusion through authentication failures, data leaks, surveillance and profiling, weak independent oversight and function creep.CLM-0544 |
This illustrates differences in design; it is not a universal claim about outcomes. Each cell links to mechanisms and the claims behind them.