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?Online petitions with signature thresholds, a city-wide survey and collaborative editing fed a 30-member drafting group; a 100-member partly appointed assembly adopted the text by qualified majority.Grand Council of 50 chiefs chosen by clan mothers; questions pass between groups of nations, each seeking unanimity, with the Onondaga Firekeepers confirming or resolving disagreement.A statutory authority (UIDAI) under the central government sets rules; ministries decide where Aadhaar is required; Parliament legislated in 2016 and 2019.Digital identity
How are conflicts resolved?Signature thresholds guaranteed graduated responses; disputes over the final text were settled in the assembly and later before the Supreme Court.The Confederacy describes the Grand Council as resolving disputes among the nations and planning for the welfare of all the people.Grievance channels at UIDAI and service agencies; constitutional challenges in the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2017 and 2018.
How are public goods funded?A low-cost online platform; the resulting constitution enshrines rights to the city, a healthy environment and indigenous rights.UnknownA universal, low-cost proof of identity used for welfare transfers, financial inclusion and public services.
How is AI used?No AI role.No documented AI role.No AI in decision-making as such; automated biometric matching and deduplication decide authentication, and face authentication was added in 2018.
What are the main risks?Digital divide; organisers' own metrics of influence; partly appointed assembly; petitions favouring organised campaigns.CLM-0484Operates alongside US and Canadian governments, which limits its practical jurisdiction; its rule of unanimity within and between blocs requires broad agreement.CLM-0117CLM-0118Exclusion through authentication failures, data leaks, surveillance and profiling, weak independent oversight and function creep.CLM-0544

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