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?104 randomly selected residents, stratified including by constitutional attitudes, deliberated over eight weekends and voted on a vision and 60 recommendations.Sortition / citizens' assemblyA stratified random sample of 523 voters deliberated in moderated groups and plenaries and answered questionnaires before and after; no decisions were taken.Sortition / citizens' assemblyThe 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?Independent conveners and facilitated small groups; no means to resolve the boycott by parties that viewed the assembly as partisan.Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.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?Government-funded (final cost £0.938 million); produced recommendations and a model for later Scottish assemblies.Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.Aims to improve public-service access and reduce discretion in public procurement.
How is AI used?No AI role.No AI role.Chatbot and voice assistant on e-Albania; a procurement system tender was still being prepared in August 2026.
What are the main risks?Perception of partisan purpose; remit too broad to produce implementable proposals; non-binding status and a general government response.Self-selection into attendance; artificial setting; analysis by the method's designers; no institutional uptake.Unclear 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.