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.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' assemblyUnknown
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.ArbitrationBalanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.Unknown
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.Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.Unknown
How is AI used?None. Hearings are oral and decided by elected farmer-trustees; no algorithmic tools are used.No AI role.Unknown
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-0501Self-selection into attendance; artificial setting; analysis by the method's designers; no institutional uptake.Unknown

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