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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2026-07-28SignalSignal: Irish assembly recommendations are followed up unevenlyIreland's biodiversity assembly reports high uptake by the government's own count, while the Dublin assembly's mayor proposal was still 'under consideration' in July 2026, more than three years after its report.Hypothesis2026-06-18SignalSignal: citizens' assemblies becoming a routine instrumentIreland has convened several citizens' assemblies since 2016; random-selection bodies are increasingly part of the ordinary toolkit rather than one-off experiments.Theory2025-09-28NewsSwiss 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)Established2025-07-03NewsInter-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