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? | Chief Pleas of 18 elected conseillers (half elected every two years for four-year terms), with a non-voting Seigneur and an elected presiding officer; committees run administration. | Unknown | 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? | The Seneschal's Court, with appeals to Guernsey's courts; Privy Council approval of laws; UK courts in exceptional cases. | Unknown | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Harbour, roads, school and basic services financed by a personal capital tax and property transfer tax; no income tax. | Unknown | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | |
| How is AI used? | No specific role for AI. | Unknown | No AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | Very small administrative capacity; domination by wealthy landowners; low electoral competition; dependence on Guernsey. | Unknown | 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.