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? | Neighbourhood assemblies gather ideas, volunteer budget delegates develop proposals with City agencies, and residents aged 11+ vote; winners enter the City budget. | 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? | Agency feasibility review and delegate committees settle eligibility; council members keep the decision to opt in and set the sum. | Unknown | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Council members' discretionary capital funds pay for school, park, street-safety and library projects of at least $50,000.Participatory budgeting | Unknown | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | |
| How is AI used? | No AI role. | Unknown | No AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | Dependence on individual council members; capital-only scope; slow delivery by City agencies; small share of the budget. | 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.