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? | Lottery-selected members deliberate and approve a declaration clause by clause by majority vote; advisory only.Sortition / citizens' assembly | 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 | Each listed body sets its own well-being objectives and steps; the Welsh Ministers publish national indicators and a future trends report after each election. | |
| How are conflicts resolved? | Facilitated deliberation with expert input; amendments settled by member votes. | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | The Commissioner may review a body and recommend; the body must take reasonable steps to follow or publish reasons (s 22). The Auditor General examines application of the principle. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Funded by foundations and governments, not by a public budget; 2021 donors included the European Climate Foundation and the Scottish Government. | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | Covers the Welsh Ministers, local authorities, health boards, national park authorities and other listed bodies; public services boards plan locally. | |
| How is AI used? | No documented AI role. | No AI role. | No documented AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | No binding mandate; donor and host dependence; online deliberation across languages and unequal connectivity. | Self-selection into attendance; artificial setting; analysis by the method's designers; no institutional uptake. | Soft 'follow or explain' enforcement; procedural compliance; difficulty measuring long-term and preventative benefits. |
This illustrates differences in design; it is not a universal claim about outcomes. Each cell links to mechanisms and the claims behind them.