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Old 04-09-2019, 05:25 AM   #541
ericthered
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

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Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
So you are proposing the US electoral process?
Hah. You can take it one of two ways. The first is an outright parody of what happens now. The second can be viewed as a refinement and formalization of what's happening anyways.
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Old 04-19-2019, 08:27 AM   #542
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

PTTG has a few good ones over in another thread. Catalog of the Weird Parallels
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Old 05-07-2019, 09:53 AM   #543
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

One I thought of for a Corporate system was that the proper shares have supervoting rights and the founding members plus what ever representative is allowed on board (say the Union ombudsman, long serving individual workers, etc) are the only ones to wield preferred shares. The point is a compromise between the virtues of developing funds by going public and maintaining cohesion by keeping it in the family. In point of fact, according to wikipedia, this system actually does exist.

Something like this can be applied to a nation as well as a business by tweaking. In the Honorverse fictional history of Manticore, it was intended as a real estate development franchise, and the need for more population inspired the creation of the nobility. In point of view it can be a pretty good backstory for Space Feudalism to those that feel the lack of need for traditional sources like tax farming and providing a warrior class renders another source necessary.

I don't know whether this system was mentioned before. It is a long (and fascinating) thread and there probably are repeats.
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Old 05-07-2019, 03:40 PM   #544
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Of course every anarchy that isn't just the hiatus between regimes is an exotic system.

So you have

Nominally an anarchy except that things are actually being run by corporate entities such as homeowners associations and corporations.

Nominally an anarchy but everyone knows that a vastly powerful entity, a god, superhuman, habitat controlling computer or something will punish those it sees as misbehaving. However the entity does no actual administration.

Nominally an anarchy but one steered by a social media network that grants and takes away points for being helpful or harmful.
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Old 05-11-2019, 12:38 AM   #545
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

I am presently playing Carthage under Queen Dido in Civ4.

An elective matrilineal monarchy. Only matrilineal descendants of Queen Dido can be elected (mater semper certa est).
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Old 05-15-2019, 01:28 AM   #546
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This is more like an aspect of a system, it could exist within many different constitutions and arrangements.

Imagine a society where assassination is an accepted means of moving up the power structure, but one where they've replaced assassination with 'counting coup', so to speak.

That is, if you manage to arrange a situation where you could kill your target, but don't, it counts the same as killing him for purposes of status. Counting coup might consist of any number of actions, but it would have to be something public, so people were aware of it, and a case whereby you could have killed him easily, but didn't.

That might mean that Mr. Target opens up his laptop and it triggers the ceiling to fall on his head. The fact that falling slab is made of Nerf foam is a side issue.

Or Ms. Target drinks her coffee in the public, begins to cough and choke, and her rival steps out and says, "You know, I could have used poison instead of a nasty tasting chemical..."
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Old 05-15-2019, 03:24 AM   #547
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

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This is more like an aspect of a system, it could exist within many different constitutions and arrangements.

Imagine a society where assassination is an accepted means of moving up the power structure, but one where they've replaced assassination with 'counting coup', so to speak.
So, government by Killer (published by SJ Games)?
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Old 05-15-2019, 07:36 AM   #548
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
This is more like an aspect of a system, it could exist within many different constitutions and arrangements.

Imagine a society where assassination is an accepted means of moving up the power structure, but one where they've replaced assassination with 'counting coup', so to speak.

That is, if you manage to arrange a situation where you could kill your target, but don't, it counts the same as killing him for purposes of status. Counting coup might consist of any number of actions, but it would have to be something public, so people were aware of it, and a case whereby you could have killed him easily, but didn't.

That might mean that Mr. Target opens up his laptop and it triggers the ceiling to fall on his head. The fact that falling slab is made of Nerf foam is a side issue.

Or Ms. Target drinks her coffee in the public, begins to cough and choke, and her rival steps out and says, "You know, I could have used poison instead of a nasty tasting chemical..."
That sounds a bit like something Sahud would incorporate.

Less exotic ideas are available. In my system each the winning clan of a military exercise gets it's voting strength temporarily increased. Another way is for it to be an ordinary democracy where this is part of the way voters judge a candidate (much as performance in dueling used to be needed by any English speaking politician).

Or it could be something like Renaissance Italy where pretty much everything was about status and could be leveraged into power.
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Old 05-19-2019, 12:51 AM   #549
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Imagine a system that incorporates something a little like the Roman 'course of honors', but in modern terms.

One enters politics by running for the local council (city or rural district). If you win you take that seat, for whatever term of office. So far familiar.

At the end of the term, you face the voters again, but in reverse. The default assumption is that you rise to the next level up in the system, becoming (for ex) a State Legislator. This will automatically happen unless the relevant voters block you, in which case your political career either ends or you go back to GO and run for local council again.

At the end of the term of the state legislature (or whatever) you automatically go up to the national Congress, again unless the voters veto it. Except for that first election, you don't convince the voters to hire you, to convince them not to fire you.
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Old 05-19-2019, 11:33 AM   #550
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

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Imagine a system that incorporates something a little like the Roman 'course of honors', but in modern terms.
Ok, this has lots of subtle knock-on effects.

You should end up with an enormous national legislature. If you've got one councilman per 10,000 people and half of them make it to the national legislature you end up with a body 15,000 strong.

If its one vote per councilman, locations will want to keep their guy in if at all possible so they get to keep their vote.

The political composition of a legislative group is telegraphed two terms before it achieves power, more if you have a longer course.
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