Polity Atlas

How each model solves the same problems

Instead of “democracy versus anarchism”, compare the concrete ways collective problems get solved.

Question+ Model
How are decisions made?Informal consensus within each harbour gang; formally, zone councils elected by licence holders propose trap limits and fishing hours, some subject to a two-thirds referendum.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?Warnings and covert trap cutting enforce territories; state marine patrol enforces size limits, trap tags and zone rules.Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement.
How are public goods funded?Conservation of breeding stock (egg-bearing females, V-notching, maximum size), monitoring and enforcement.Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study.
How is AI used?None. Trap tags and licence databases are administrative, not AI-based.No AI role.
What are the main risks?Exclusion of newcomers, violent 'cut wars', dependence on one species, ocean warming and federal whale-protection rules.CLM-0510Self-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.