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?45 citizens drawn by lot and 15 MPs deliberate together; citizens vote by secret ballot and MPs publicly; MPs must justify votes against citizen-approved proposals.Sortition / citizens' assemblyCommunes and elected councils at neighbourhood, district, canton and inter-region levels; co-chairs and a 40% minimum quota for either sex (Rojava Information Center).Popular 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' assembly
How are conflicts resolved?Facilitated closed small groups, separate voting by citizens and MPs, and a public six-month follow-up report with reasons.Commune reconciliation committees; regional Justice Councils administer tribunals and coordinate sentencing guidelines (Rojava Information Center).Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.
How are public goods funded?Funded from parliamentary budgets; produces recommendations on regional policy and a public record of uptake.Regional offices and commissions for health, economy and natural resources; the administration controlled the area's oil extraction until integration (Crisis Group).Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.
How is AI used?No AI role.No documented AI role.No AI role.
What are the main risks?MPs dominating lay members; parliament keeping agenda control; rules of procedure can be repealed by a later majority.Turkish military action; reliance on external security partners; documented displacement abuses; contested terms of integration with Damascus.CLM-0279CLM-0280Self-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.