How each model solves the same problems
Instead of “democracy versus anarchism”, compare the concrete ways collective problems get solved.
| Question | + Model | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| How are decisions made? | Chieftains and their advisers sat in the Lögrétta, which made laws at the annual Althing; local assemblies (things) handled regional business. | A stratified random sample of 523 voters deliberated in moderated groups and plenaries and answered questionnaires before and after; no decisions were taken.Sortition / citizens' assembly | |
| How are conflicts resolved? | Courts at local and national assemblies judged disputes; injured parties enforced judgments themselves; arbitration and outlawry were used.Arbitration | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Unknown | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | |
| How is AI used? | No documented AI role. | No AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | Power concentrating in a few families; weak enforcement against the powerful; feuds; civil conflict in the 1200s.CLM-0105CLM-0909 | Self-selection into attendance; artificial setting; analysis by the method's designers; no institutional uptake. |
This illustrates differences in design; it is not a universal claim about outcomes. Each cell links to mechanisms and the claims behind them.