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?A college of Nine serving two-month terms, chosen from lists of eligible merchant-class men; a General Council of the Bell approving laws and taxes; a foreign podestà and a Captain of the People.Sortition / citizens' assemblyEach 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?Courts under a hired foreign podestà; co-optation of magnates into lesser offices; militias against conspiracies.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?Palazzo Pubblico, Campo, fountains and aqueducts, walls and roads; financed by direct taxes assessed on a property survey and by indirect taxes.Covers 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 medieval commune.No documented AI role.
What are the main risks?Narrow oligarchy controlling eligibility lists, exclusion of magnates and artisans, banking failures, plague and external intervention.CLM-0408Soft '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.