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?Historically assemblies and councils of citizens with short-term magistrates; today ranges from parliamentary democracy to dominant-party rule.A 28-member General Council (half elected by parish, half by national list) elects the head of government; the co-princes sanction laws with countersignature.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?Civic courts and councils; external disputes through leagues, alliances or larger powers.A four-member Constitutional Tribunal appointed by the co-princes and the General Council; ordinary courts.Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.
How are public goods funded?Defence, port and market infrastructure, urban services, funded by trade and commercial taxation.Health, education and infrastructure funded by indirect, corporate and personal taxes; parishes run local services.Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.
How is AI used?No inherent AI role; modern city-states such as Singapore invest heavily in digital government.No specific role for AI.No AI role.
What are the main risks?Exclusive citizenship, factional strife, elite capture and vulnerability to larger states.Clash between the episcopal co-prince and legislation such as abortion; exclusion of non-citizens; dependence on France, Spain and the EU.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.