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List of forms of governmentFrom RationalWiki

Ever wondered what all those ...ocracies and ...archies were? Seek no further than RationalWiki's list offorms of government.

AnarchismA form of government with no ruling hierarchy, instead decisions are made at a directly democraticlevel: laws are created by citizens alone, although they may be enforced by institutions that are notpublicly controlled.

AnarchyAnarchy is lack of a central government, as there is no one recognized governing authority; inanarchy there is no effective government and each individual has absolute liberty. It is important tonote, however, that the lack of a government to enforce laws does not automatically imply that thereare no laws; anarcho­capitalism in particular posits a form of anarchy with a body of explicit laws.

AristocracyA form of government in which a select few rule based on inherited hereditary right.

AutocracyA form of government in which the political power is held by a single, self­appointed ruler.

Communist statea hypothetical stateless entity that follows after socialism as according to Marxist theory.

Corporatocracya form of government where a corporation, a group of corporations, or government entities withprivate components, control the direction and governance of a country.

Demarchya hypothetical political system run by randomly selected decision makers who have been selected bysortition. Think selecting a legislature or executive in the same manner that a jury is presentlyselected.

DemocracyRefers to a broad range of types of government based upon the "consent of the governed." In itspurest form it is the same thing as mobocracy, but it is usually practiced in the form of a republic,which provides checks and balances and an establishment that is able to tap an unruly mob on itscollective head.

Epistemocracya utopian type of society and government in which people of rank, including those holding politicaloffice, are those who possess epistemic humility.

Ethnocracya form of government where representatives of a particular ethnic group hold a number ofgovernment posts disproportionately large to the percentage of the total population that the particularethnic group(s) represents and use them to advance the position of their particular ethnic group(s) tothe detriment of others. In Nazi Germany ethnic groups Hitler supported held all the power. Neo­Nazis often accuse Jews of possessing an ethnocracy in the person of the U.S. government, whichthey call the Zionist Occupation Government.

Exilarchya form of government, usually theocratic or monarchic, that is established and constituted for ruleover an ethnic or religious diaspora rather than over the place of origin whence the diasporaoriginates.

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FascismThe country is ruled by a totalitarian and corporatist government. It has also gone by the namesNazism, Baathism, Corporatism, and Falangism.

FutarchySystem of government proposed by economist Robin Hanson based on the idea of voting on a certainoutcome and then figuring out how to achieve it.

Geniocracya system of government which was first proposed by Rael (leader of the International RaëlianMovement) in 1977 and which advocates problem­solving and creative intelligence as criteria forregional governance

Gerontocracya form of oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than mostof the adult population.

KakistocracyGovernment by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens, "Government by the worst."

Kleptocracya term applied to a government that extends the personal wealth and political power of governmentofficials and the ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats) at the expense of the population.

Kratocracygovernment by those who are strong enough to seize power through force or cunning.

Kritocracy or Krytocracya government ruled by judges.

Kritarchya form of order springing from judgments made from principles of natural rights.

Logocracygovernment by words.

Meritocracya government or other organization wherein appointments are made and responsibilities are givenbased on demonstrated talent and ability, usually incentivising "merit".

Minarchya political ideology which maintains that the state's only legitimate function is the protection ofindividuals from aggression.

Mobocracy or Ochlocracygovernment by mob or a mass of people, or the intimidation of constitutional authorities; think MontyPython and the Quest for the Holy Grail "witch/duck" mob

Monarchy a form of government in which supreme power is absolutely or nominally lodged with an individual,who is the head of state, often for life or until abdication. A monarchy usually possesses more checksand balances than an autocracy or dictatorship.

Noocracya social and political system that is based on the priority of human mind.

Oligarchya form of government in which power effectively rests with a small elite segment of societydistinguished by royal, wealth, intellectual, family, military or religious hegemony.

Panarchracya political philosophy emphasizing each individual's right to freely join and leave the jurisdiction ofany governments they choose, without being forced to move from their current locale.

Plutocracyrule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth.

Republic

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US definition: power resides in elected individuals representing the citizen body and governmentleaders exercise power according to the rule of law.

International definition: government without a monarch

Socialist republic or people's republica state run by a communist party, or worker representative democracy, where decisions are typicallycentrally made, and resources are distributed by need and produced by ability, where workers, or theParty control the means of production .

Sociocracya system of governance using consent­based decision making among equivalent individuals and anorganizational structure based on cybernetic principles.

Stratocracya system of government in which there is no distinction between the military and the civil power.

Technocracy a form of government in which engineers, scientists, and other technical experts are in control ofdecision making in their respective fields.

Tetrarchy a form of government consisting of four all­powerful rulers.

Theocracya form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the state's supreme civil ruler. Sincesaid god or deity is usually absent from decision making, a self­appointed or elected leader or leadersof the religion of said god or deity will rule instead through personal interpretation of the lawscommanded by the god in that religion's written law.

Theodemocracya political system theorized by Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement(Mormons). As the name implies, theodemocracy was meant to be a fusion of traditional republicandemocratic rights under the United States Constitution, combined with theocratic elements.

Timocracyeither:a state where only property owners may participate in government; or a government whererulers are selected and perpetuated based on the degree of honor they hold relative to others in theirsociety, peer group or class.

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