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? | Discussion aiming at policy-based consensus; administrators chosen by community review; policies edited by the community; movement-wide rules set by the Wikimedia Foundation. | A 28-member General Council (half elected by parish, half by national list) elects the head of government; the co-princes sanction laws with countersignature. | |
| How are conflicts resolved? | Talk pages, noticeboards and page protection; the elected Arbitration Committee decides conduct (not content) cases and can ban editors or remove rights.Arbitration | A four-member Constitutional Tribunal appointed by the co-princes and the General Council; ordinary courts. | |
| How are public goods funded? | A free encyclopaedia under a share-alike licence; the Foundation is funded by donations without advertising. | Health, education and infrastructure funded by indirect, corporate and personal taxes; parishes run local services. | |
| How is AI used? | Not part of governance decisions; bots and machine-learning tools help detect vandalism, and AI reuse of content is a policy debate. | No specific role for AI. | |
| What are the main risks? | Editor decline and hostility to newcomers, systemic bias, capture of contentious topics, and conflict between community and Foundation. | Clash between the episcopal co-prince and legislation such as abortion; exclusion of non-citizens; dependence on France, Spain and the EU. |
This illustrates differences in design; it is not a universal claim about outcomes. Each cell links to mechanisms and the claims behind them.