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?Each of eight canal communities elects a board and a trustee (síndic) who must farm his own land; the trustees sit as the Tribunal and elect a president for two years.Each listed body sets its own well-being objectives and steps; the Welsh Ministers publish national indicators and a future trends report after each election.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?Weekly public oral hearings in Valencian; no written record; the trustee of the canal concerned does not vote; penalties follow each community's ordinances.ArbitrationThe Commissioner may review a body and recommend; the body must take reasonable steps to follow or publish reasons (s 22). The Auditor General examines application of the principle.Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.
How are public goods funded?Distribution of Turia water in 138 proportional shares, canal cleaning and guards financed by member levies; cheap and trusted dispute resolution.Covers the Welsh Ministers, local authorities, health boards, national park authorities and other listed bodies; public services boards plan locally.Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.
How is AI used?None. Hearings are oral and decided by elected farmer-trustees; no algorithmic tools are used.No documented AI role.No AI role.
What are the main risks?Loss of farmland to urban growth, an ageing farming population and dependence on river flows controlled by state water authorities.CLM-0501Soft 'follow or explain' enforcement; procedural compliance; difficulty measuring long-term and preventative benefits.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.