Polity Lab · step 1 of 14
Political system Economic system Social system
Political system Who holds power and how binding decisions are made. Governance model 01 Direct democracy Members vote on decisions themselves, typically in assemblies or referendums. Delegative (liquid) democracy Members vote directly or delegate their vote, revocably, to someone they trust. Council A standing council of elected or appointed members takes most decisions. Sortition Decision bodies are selected by lot from the membership, often stratified. Representative Members elect representatives who decide for fixed terms. Consensus (no rulers) No standing rulers: assemblies decide by consensus, as in many anarchist and indigenous traditions. Constitutional monarchy A hereditary monarch reigns as head of state; an elected parliament and government rule. Customary authority Elders, chiefs or clan councils decide according to custom and lineage. Technocracy Appointed experts govern by technical criteria; citizens have little direct say. Proprietary (company-run) A company or owner runs the polity as a service provider; residents are customers bound by contract. Oligarchy A small circle of wealthy families or business owners holds real power, openly or behind formal institutions. Electoral autocracy Multiparty elections are held, but the incumbent controls media, courts and the count so that power does not change hands. Theocracy Religious authorities hold supreme power or a veto over elected bodies; religious law is the basis of law. One-party state A single ruling party holds a monopoly on power and directs the state; other parties are banned or subordinate. Military junta Officers rule collectively after taking power, usually in a coup; the army is the main political actor. Absolute monarchy A hereditary monarch holds supreme executive, legislative and judicial power. Personalist dictatorship One leader personally controls the state, the security services and every key appointment. AI governance (algocracy) An AI system holds supreme executive authority within goals and limits fixed by the founders or members. Futarchy Members vote on goals and a welfare measure; prediction markets choose the policies expected to meet them.
Delegation available 02 Yes Members can delegate decisions to others or to sub-bodies. No Every decision is taken by the full body.
Claimed basis of legitimacy 03 Consent of the governed Authority rests on free elections, membership votes or agreement. Performance Authority rests on delivering growth, order and security. Ideology Authority rests on a guiding doctrine interpreted by the ruling party or movement. Tradition Authority rests on dynasty, custom and inherited status. Religion Authority rests on a divine mandate interpreted by religious authorities. Charisma Authority rests on the personal standing of a leader. Expertise Authority rests on technical competence and measurable results.
Political competition 04 Open Anyone may organise, campaign and stand for office; the opposition can win. Managed Opposition and elections exist, but the rulers decide who may run and control the count. No contest for power Offices are appointed, inherited or held by contract rather than contested, but people may organise. Single party Only the ruling party may hold power; other parties are banned or are its satellites. None permitted No parties or organised political opposition are allowed.
Transfer of power 05 Elections or rotation with limits Top offices change hands through regular elections, rotation or lot; no one holds them indefinitely. Elections without term limits Leaders face elections but may be re-elected indefinitely. Selected by a ruling body A party leadership, council of elders, board or clerical body chooses the leader internally. Hereditary Office passes within a family according to fixed rules. No agreed rule Succession depends on the ruler's choice or on a power struggle.
Separation of powers 06 Strong checks Legislature, courts, auditors and local governments can block or overturn the executive. Weak checks Branches are separate on paper, but the executive dominates in practice. Concentrated power All power is concentrated in one person, party or body.
Law and courts 07 Rule of law Law binds the rulers too; independent courts can rule against the government. Rule by law Laws bind citizens but serve the rulers; courts do not rule against the leadership, and enforcement can be selective. Arbitrary rule There are no stable rules; the ruler's will or personal loyalty decides outcomes.
Civil liberties 08 Protected Speech, assembly, association and belief are guaranteed and enforceable. Restricted Freedoms exist but are curtailed by permits, vague laws and selective prosecution. Suppressed Independent organising and public criticism of the rulers are punished.
Media and information 09 Free and plural Independent outlets compete; there is no prior censorship. State-dominated Independent outlets exist, but the state controls the main channels and pressures critics. Censored Media are state-run or licensed, with censorship and internet filtering.
Surveillance 10 Limited by law Surveillance needs a warrant and is overseen by courts or parliament. Extensive Broad monitoring of communications and public spaces with weak oversight. Pervasive Comprehensive digital monitoring of the population, linked to rewards and penalties.
Feedback and accountability 11 Public Elections, a free press and open courts let society sanction and replace the rulers. Internal channels Petitions, complaint offices, inspections and internal reviews pass grievances up; society cannot replace the rulers. None There is no regular channel through which grievances reach those in power.
Where policy is made 12 Devolved Local units decide local matters within shared rules (subsidiarity). Experimentation under hierarchy The centre sets goals; regions pilot their own policies, and the centre scales up what works. Centralised The centre decides policy and local units carry it out.
Role of AI 13 None AI systems play no part in public decisions. Advisory AI summarises, analyses or drafts; humans decide. Administrative AI executes routine administrative decisions within human-set rules. Autonomous AI takes binding decisions without case-by-case human approval.
AI oversight 14 None No dedicated review of AI decisions. Human review on request Affected people can ask a human to review an AI decision. Independent audit An independent body audits models, data and decision logs. Human in the loop A human approves each consequential AI output before it takes effect.
Dispute resolution 15 None defined No designated procedure. State courts Disputes go to state courts — the polity's own or those of a surrounding host state. Arbitration Parties submit to agreed private arbitrators. AI-assisted arbitration An AI system proposes or issues rulings. Community mediation Peers mediate toward agreement. Polycentric law Several competing or overlapping legal providers. Religious courts Clerical judges decide disputes under religious law.
Appeal of decisions 16 None Decisions are final. Internal appeal A second body inside the polity reviews decisions. Independent appeal An external or structurally independent body reviews decisions.
Federation 17 Standalone No formal links with other polities. Confederation Loose alliance; members keep most powers. Federation Powers split between a centre and member units. Network Non-territorial links via shared protocols and agreements.
Amendment rule 18 Simple majority More than half of votes cast. Supermajority Typically two thirds or more. Unanimity Every member must agree. External authority A founder, host state or other outside body controls amendments. By the leadership The ruler or ruling party can rewrite the constitution at will.
Entrenched minority protections 19 Yes Some rights cannot be removed by ordinary majorities. No All rules can be changed by the amendment rule alone.
Economic system Who owns resources, who decides what is produced and how the results are shared. Coordination of production 20 Market Goods are allocated mainly through prices and exchange. Mixed Markets plus collective provision of some goods. Commons Key resources are held and governed in common by their users. State capitalism Markets operate, but the state owns or steers the largest firms and banks. Central planning A central plan sets production, prices and investment.
Contribution enforcement 21 None Contributions to shared resources are not monitored. Social norms Informal monitoring and reputation. Formal rules & graduated sanctions Agreed monitoring with graduated sanctions.
Financing the state 22 None No regular levy. Voluntary contributions Members choose whether and how much to pay. Flat A single rate for all. Progressive Rates rise with income or wealth. Land value tax Levy on the unimproved value of land. Harberger tax Owners self-assess value, pay tax on it and must sell at that price. Resource rents The state lives mainly on oil, gas or mineral revenue rather than on taxing residents.
Ownership of firms 23 Private Individuals own land and assets. Collective The polity owns key assets. Mixed Both private and collective holdings. Community land trust Land held in trust; buildings sold with resale limits. Partial common ownership Possession subject to a Harberger-style self-assessed tax. State The state owns the land and the means of production.
Land 24 Private Land is bought, sold and inherited freely. Mixed Private, public and communal land side by side. Common or trust Communities or a trust hold the land and allocate use rights. State The state owns all land; users hold leases or use rights.
Natural resources 25 State-licensed concessions The polity owns resources and licenses companies to extract them for royalties. State extraction State companies own and exploit oil, gas, minerals and forests. Private Whoever owns the land owns what lies beneath it. Commons Local users manage resources under rules they make themselves. Citizens' fund Resource revenue goes into a public fund that saves for future generations or pays every citizen a dividend.
Distribution of income 26 Market incomes Income comes from wages and returns on property, with little redistribution. Welfare state Social insurance and public services redistribute income and cover the main risks of life. Universal basic income Everyone receives an unconditional regular payment on top of other income. Shared ownership Workers or citizens share in profits through cooperative, employee or public ownership of firms. According to need Goods and services are allocated by need rather than bought with income. Rank and loyalty Income, housing and scarce goods depend on rank, party membership or loyalty.
Money and credit 27 Independent central bank A central bank with a legal mandate, insulated from day-to-day politics, issues the currency. Government-directed money The government directs the central bank and steers credit to priority sectors. Foreign currency or hard peg The polity uses another country's currency or fixes its own to it. Commodity money Money is backed by gold or another commodity. Mutual credit Members extend interest-free credit to each other through a community or local currency. Competing digital currencies Private or algorithmic currencies compete, with no single issuer. No common money Exchange happens in kind, by barter or by allocation.
Work and labour 28 Individual contracts Work is agreed in individual contracts; unions are weak or optional. Collective bargaining Strong unions bargain for whole sectors, and workers sit on company boards. Self-management Workers own or govern their workplaces and elect the managers. State assignment The state assigns jobs, sets wages and limits changing employer. Compulsory labour Work is a duty that can be imposed by the state, including as punishment. Post-work automation Most production is automated; paid work is optional for most people.
Trade and foreign capital 29 Open Low tariffs and free movement of capital. Managed Tariffs, capital controls and industrial policy shape trade. Export-led The state steers credit and investment towards exporting industries. Self-sufficiency Trade and foreign capital are kept to a minimum or banned.
Main spending priority 30 Social protection Pensions, health care and support for those who cannot work. Development Infrastructure, industry and technology. Education and research Schools, universities and science. Security Army, police and internal security services. Minimal state Low spending overall; most services are left to markets and families.
Social system Membership, rights and duties, and how people live together. Exit rights 31 None Members cannot leave freely. Conditional Exit allowed after notice, settlement or other conditions. Unconditional Members may leave at any time.
Citizenship 32 By birth Citizenship comes from birth in the territory or to citizens. By residence Residents become citizens after a set period. Open membership Anyone who accepts the charter may join, wherever they live. Earned Citizenship is earned through service, work or a contribution. Purchasable Citizenship or residence can be bought through investment. Exclusive Citizenship is reserved for a founding, ethnic or religious group; many residents are non-citizens.
Equality before the law 33 Equal rights All members have the same rights and duties. Privileged elite Members of the ruling group enjoy privileges and protection in law or in practice. Unequal by status Rights differ by status — citizen or migrant, caste, estate, gender or religion.
Social mobility 34 Open Position depends mainly on education and work. Limited Family wealth and connections largely decide position. Hereditary Status is fixed by birth or by an inherited political classification.
Education 35 Universal public Free public schooling for all, with independent curricula. Mixed Public and private schools side by side. Market Mostly private, fee-paying schools and universities. Community or religious Communities or religious bodies run most schools. Doctrinal State schooling teaches a compulsory political or religious doctrine.
Health care 36 Universal public A public service covers everyone, paid from taxes. Social insurance Compulsory insurance funds care from several providers. Private Care is bought privately or through voluntary insurance. Community Mutual-aid funds and community clinics.
Migration 37 Open Anyone may come, work and settle. Selective Entry by skills, family ties, points or investment. Guest workers A large temporary workforce without a path to citizenship. Restrictive Little immigration is allowed. Closed Borders are closed in both directions.
Civil society 38 Autonomous Associations, unions, churches and NGOs organise freely. Licensed Associations must register and stay within limits the state sets. State-organised Only state- or party-run mass organisations are allowed. Absent There are no organisations between families and the state.
Your own institutions and experimental rules Describe anything the options cannot express — new offices, voting rules, rights, economic or social mechanisms, however unusual. The rule checks cannot read this text; the AI analysis does, and compares it with the cases in the atlas.