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? | Village assemblies or headmen set opening days, quotas, tools and labour duties; rights belong to member households. | 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 | 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. | |
| How are conflicts resolved? | Rotating village guards patrol and fine violators, with sanctions graduated by severity; land disputes with the state go to the courts. | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | The 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. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Firewood, fodder, thatch, fertiliser litter and later collectively managed timber plantations, maintained by compulsory communal labour. | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | Covers the Welsh Ministers, local authorities, health boards, national park authorities and other listed bodies; public services boards plan locally. | |
| How is AI used? | None. Rules and enforcement are entirely human and customary. | No AI role. | No documented AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | Loss of economic value, cheap timber imports, depopulation, exclusionary membership rules and state pressure to individualise rights. | Self-selection into attendance; artificial setting; analysis by the method's designers; no institutional uptake. | Soft 'follow or explain' enforcement; procedural compliance; difficulty measuring long-term and preventative benefits. |
This illustrates differences in design; it is not a universal claim about outcomes. Each cell links to mechanisms and the claims behind them.