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?Citizens vote and hold office; membership rules decide who is part of the decision-making body at all.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' assemblyA 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?UnknownBalanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.Grievance channels at UIDAI and service agencies; constitutional challenges in the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2017 and 2018.
How are public goods funded?UnknownPrivately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.A universal, low-cost proof of identity used for welfare transfers, financial inclusion and public services.
How is AI used?UnknownNo 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?Permanent exclusion of long-term residents, statelessness, sale of membership and arbitrary deprivation.Self-selection into attendance; artificial setting; analysis by the method's designers; no institutional uptake.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.