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?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' assemblyA statutory authority (UIDAI) under the central government sets rules; ministries decide where Aadhaar is required; Parliament legislated in 2016 and 2019.Digital identityThe Prime Minister is formally responsible for Diella; the Constitutional Court states AI cannot change who exercises public power or bears accountability.
How are conflicts resolved?Courts under a hired foreign podestà; co-optation of magnates into lesser offices; militias against conspiracies.Grievance channels at UIDAI and service agencies; constitutional challenges in the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2017 and 2018.Opposition challenged the decrees before the Constitutional Court, which dismissed the request on 8 October 2026; its full reasoning is pending.
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.A universal, low-cost proof of identity used for welfare transfers, financial inclusion and public services.Aims to improve public-service access and reduce discretion in public procurement.
How is AI used?None; a medieval commune.No AI in decision-making as such; automated biometric matching and deduplication decide authentication, and face authentication was added in 2018.Chatbot and voice assistant on e-Albania; a procurement system tender was still being prepared in August 2026.
What are the main risks?Narrow oligarchy controlling eligibility lists, exclusion of magnates and artisans, banking failures, plague and external intervention.CLM-0408Exclusion through authentication failures, data leaks, surveillance and profiling, weak independent oversight and function creep.CLM-0544Unclear accountability for an AI 'minister'; no AI law yet; no published technical detail; AKSHI's leaders face a tender-rigging case.CLM-0359

This illustrates differences in design; it is not a universal claim about outcomes. Each cell links to mechanisms and the claims behind them.