The Republic


This is a short series about the political system of a non-existent utopia.

It’s redundant to say “non-existent utopia” because utopias are not allowed to exist; they’re bad for business for autocrats and pseudo-democracies, that wish to present themselves to the population of the planet as “the only alternative.”

I started this exercise about 5 years ago, as a result of some dinner-table political discussion, and slowly fleshed it out over the years; my subconscious is the type that ruthlessly chews at problems, and occasionally a piece of the puzzle would pop into place. This is an exposition of the rough outlines of the political structure of Badgeria: a place I’d immediately immigrate to, if it existed. Sadly, it does not.

Sections:

  1. The Republic – Overview of Badgeria and its tax system (“Death and Taxes”)
  2. House By House – The legislative process of Badgeria. Lots of talking and direct democracy.
  3. Project Management – How agencies and services in Badgeria are created and managed. Badgeria’s political system is unique in that it is designed so that The People can tune the amount of government they have over time.
  4. The House of War – How the Badgerian military is structured, and how Badgerians police themselves.

The Commentariat(tm) did a great job of picking apart flaws in Badgeria’s system; I recommend you read the comments as well, since they are valuable.