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? | Parliamentary democracy: the majority party in the National Assembly installs the president; the BDP governed from 1966 to 2024. Chiefs advise through the House of Chiefs; kgotla meetings remain a consultation venue. | 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? | Relatively independent courts, including the 2006 High Court ruling for San residents of the Central Kalahari; customary courts for local disputes. | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Diamond royalties, taxes and dividends through Debswana fund roads, schools, health and water; part of revenue saved in foreign reserves and the Pula Fund. | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | |
| How is AI used? | None at the level of governance described here. | No AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | Dependence on diamonds and declining demand for natural stones, high inequality and unemployment, concentration of power in the presidency, and treatment of minorities such as the San. | 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.