Imagining our Martian Government
Envisioning a 21st Century democracy
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When the time comes for Martian colonists to set up a government for themselves, what kind will they choose? Will they learn from terrestrial trial and error? In prior essays, I looked at some of the challenges facing Western-style democracy in the 21st Century and while it has, for the most part, served us well, it is time for us to consider better and more effective approaches to governance. Thus, a thought experiment; if we could begin from a clean slate on Mars, how would best design a government there?
Parliamentary or Presidential?
One of the recurring themes that frame many discussions surrounding institutional design is the debate between parliamentary and presidential governments. In a prior essay, I noted that the latter splits democratic legitimacy between the executive and legislative branches and that this fragmentation can create a kind of straightjacket on policymaking. This begs the question though, is there any empirical…
