01 · Knowledge Atlas
Switch to graph viewAn encyclopedia of social systems
Theories, political philosophies, economic models, institution types and forms of self-government — each idea traced through theory, real examples, critique and results.
All entries · A–Z
- Participatory budgetingMechanismResidents directly decide how to spend part of a public budget through proposals, deliberation and votes.
- Party-list proportional representationMechanismVoters choose among party lists in multi-member districts and seats are shared in proportion to votes, using formulas such as D'Hondt or Sainte-Laguë, often with a legal threshold. First used nationally in Belgium (1899); the most common system in Europe and Latin America.
- Popular assemblyMechanismAll eligible members meet in person to debate and decide, typically by show of hands or consensus.
- Prediction markets for policyMechanismMarkets in contracts that pay out on future events, whose prices serve as probability forecasts to inform public decisions; conditional decision markets compare expected outcomes of alternative policies. Tested in election markets and forecasting tournaments; the US Policy Analysis Market was cancelled in 2003.
- Public algorithm registerMechanismAn official public list of the algorithmic and AI systems used by government, describing purpose, data, oversight, risks and redress. Launched by Amsterdam and Helsinki in 2020; national registers or standards now exist in the Netherlands and UK, and the EU AI Act requires registration of high-risk public uses.