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?Open village assemblies of adults, dominated by men, seeking consensus; councils of lineage elders holding the ofo; title societies; women's assemblies for women's affairs and markets.Popular assemblyGrand Council of 50 chiefs chosen by clan mothers; questions pass between groups of nations, each seeking unanimity, with the Onondaga Firekeepers confirming or resolving disagreement.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?Escalation from family to lineage, elders, assembly and oracles; oaths and ordeals; fines, ostracism and collective shaming such as 'sitting on a man'.The Confederacy describes the Grand Council as resolving disputes among the nations and planning for the welfare of all the people.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?Paths, markets, shrines and defence supplied by age grades and communal labour; land allocated by lineages.UnknownCovers the Welsh Ministers, local authorities, health boards, national park authorities and other listed bodies; public services boards plan locally.
How is AI used?None; a pre-colonial polity.No documented AI role.No documented AI role.
What are the main risks?Exclusion and stigma (slaves, osu), oracle abuse and slave trading, limited capacity above the village-group, and conquest by a centralised colonial state.CLM-0390Operates alongside US and Canadian governments, which limits its practical jurisdiction; its rule of unanimity within and between blocs requires broad agreement.CLM-0117CLM-0118Soft '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.