Polity Atlas

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' assemblyGrand Council of 50 chiefs chosen by clan mothers; questions pass between groups of nations, each seeking unanimity, with the Onondaga Firekeepers confirming or resolving disagreement.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.The Confederacy describes the Grand Council as resolving disputes among the nations and planning for the welfare of all the people.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.UnknownA universal, low-cost proof of identity used for welfare transfers, financial inclusion and public services.
How is AI used?No AI role.No documented AI role.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-0067Operates alongside US and Canadian governments, which limits its practical jurisdiction; its rule of unanimity within and between blocs requires broad agreement.CLM-0117CLM-0118Exclusion 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.