Polity Atlas
05 · Future Observatory

Watching society transform

Research, technology shifts, AI governance, post-labour economics and digital statehood — each item tagged with its status and the claims it changes.

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2026-09-21NewsAlaska's 2026 Permanent Fund Dividend set at $1,200Alaska announced on 21 September 2026 that this year's Permanent Fund Dividend is $1,200, including a $200 energy relief payment, up from $1,000 in 2025. The amount, set each year in the state budget, has ranged from $1,000 to $3,284 since 2020.Alaska Department of Revenue, Permanent Fund Dividend DivisionEstablished2026-05-22NewsNew York City's participatory budgeting draws a record voteIn the City Council's fifteenth participatory budgeting cycle, nearly 130,000 New Yorkers in 22 Council districts voted from 11 to 19 April 2026 on how to allocate almost $25 million; the Council called it the highest vote since the programme began in 2011.New York City CouncilEstablished2025-11-23NewsFrench citizens' convention on children's time adopts 20 proposalsOn 23 November 2025 the 133 randomly selected members of France's Convention citoyenne sur les temps de l'enfant, organised by the CESE at the President's request, adopted a final report with 20 proposals, including a 9 a.m. school start for adolescents and a ban on social media before 15.Conseil économique, social et environnemental (CESE)Established2025-09-28NewsSwiss voters approve a state-issued e-ID by a narrow marginOn 28 September 2025 Swiss voters accepted the federal e-ID Act by 50.39% to 49.61%, four years after rejecting an earlier e-ID law that would have relied on private issuers.Swiss Federal Statistical Office / Federal Chancellery (Popular Votes Dashboard)Established2025-09-26NewsUK announces a national digital ID, mandatory for right-to-work checksOn 26 September 2025 the UK government announced a free digital ID for people living in the UK, to be mandatory for Right to Work checks by the end of the Parliament. It would be held on people's phones and there would be no duty to carry it.Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street (GOV.UK)Established2025-07-03NewsInter-American Court recognises Nature as a subject of rightsIn Advisory Opinion OC-32/25, adopted on 29 May 2025 and notified on 3 July 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights states that recognising Nature as a subject of rights is compatible with the inter-American system.Inter-American Court of Human RightsEstablished2025-02-26NewsICSID tribunal lets the Próspera arbitration against Honduras proceedOn 26 February 2025 the tribunal in Honduras Próspera Inc. v. Honduras rejected Honduras' objection that local remedies had not been exhausted. It is a ruling on admissibility, not on the merits.International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)Established2024-10-01NewsHonduras' Supreme Court rules ZEDE framework unconstitutionalThe 2024 ruling removes the legal basis on which Próspera and other ZEDEs were created; their future now runs through politics and international arbitration.Corte Suprema de Justicia de HondurasEstablished