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? | A dominant presidency with a small circle of security-service and business allies; a Duma controlled by United Russia; regional governors appointed (2005–2012) or elected under filters. | 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? | Courts that rarely ruled against the Kremlin in political cases; elite disputes settled by the president; selective prosecution of rivals. | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Pensions, wages and infrastructure financed largely by oil and gas revenue; a reserve fund built in the boom years. | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | |
| How is AI used? | No algorithmic governance; growing use of digital surveillance and online censorship by the end of the period. | No AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | Dependence on hydrocarbon rents, erosion of the institutions that could replace leaders, and escalating repression and external aggression. | 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.