Polity Atlas

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?Some act for others; authorised by election, lot, delegation or claim, and held to account by re-election, recall or review.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?UnknownBalanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.
How are public goods funded?UnknownPrivately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.
How is AI used?UnknownNo AI role.
What are the main risks?A separate political class, responsiveness biased towards the affluent, and blunt accountability.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.