The taxonomy
This archaeology includes governance mechanisms we have found from diverse societies across time and space. It is part of a research project in progress to assemble a database of governance archaeology. Click on a mechanism below to see its description, existing examples and related artworks.
"Autocratic single leader above all administrators, unbound from independent actors"
"Offices or positions of authority are restricted by age"
"The right to ask for a reversal of a judicial decision at a higher court or to the citizenry"
"Independent arbitrator makes a binding decision"
"Large gathering of members of an organisation/social group. Law-making rights are relative. "central" means that the assembly answers to the highest authority"
"Sale of goods or property, usually public, where people make bids"
"Autocratic leader bound by a council or assembly of independent agents"
"Presence of institutions or power groups which balance each other, preventing one of them assuming power of the other. Similar to checks and balances, but not necessarily through official institutions"
"Importance of family relations in power structures"
"authoritative body in charge of decision-making over a defined governance area"
"withdrawal from commercial or other relation"
"Body of non-elected government officers which assist in governing the group/nation/tribe..."
"Official killing of the perpetrator"
"Presence of official institutions which prevent one of them assuming absolute control over the community"
"Rejection by members of a community to comply with certain rules and regulations"
"Claiming rights to land by occupying it for a certain period of time"
"When members elect other members "
"Group of two or more people, groups, which work together for a social or economic benefit"
"Form of decision-making where a proposal passes when all members either agree or abstain from voting."
"Tool of legitimacy given by independent actors to a ruler"
"Basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government"
"Process whereby a ruler or leader makes decisions by consulting others"
"Violence against the perpetrator by a second or third party"
"Body of people elected or selected by nobility, wealth or other characteristics. "central" level means that the council answers to the highest authority"
"Body of people elected or selected by nobility, wealth or other characteristics. "local level" means that the council operates in a unit (be it a village, tribe, of clan) connected with other units by a central authority"
"verbal, non-violent form of punishment for misbehavior"
"Process whereby members of a body collectively discuss issues of common interest. "
"Destruction of property of the perpetrator by a second or third party"
"An official, usually a monarch, received the right to rule directly from a deity"
"Formal choice of persons for a decision-making position"
"Gathering of people of high social status, whether by nobility, wealth or other characteristics, similar to a council but identified explicitly as "assembly" in the sources."
"Organisation with limited number of seats which provides benefits to its members. Usually involves a competitive application process for aspiring members"
"Payment of money or kind as a punishment"
"Establishment of right by a person who first claims their right to a property"
"Forced labour as a form of punishment"
"Rule of the old"
"Special gesture to solidify a pact"
"Transfer of office based on blood"
"Process to remove a representative while in office"
"Official ceremony required for the induction of a new official such as a monarch or priest"
"person or group of people formally called upon to resolve a dispute"
"Leader or head of a group exercising authority but considered first among equals"
"Dispute-resolution system in which a formal court makes a binding decision"
"Official influencing of policy"
"Large gathering of members of an organisation/social group. Law-making rights are relative. "local level" means that the assembly operates in a unit (be it a village, tribe, of clan) connected with other units by a central authority"
"Selection of members, officials by random chance from a pool of candidates"
"Officers, appointees, elected leaders, high-ranking bureaucrats"
"More than half members must agree"
"Representatives are bound by strict instructions"
"System where women hold positions of power"
"Tracing of kinship through the female line"
"Independent mediator helps the parties come to an agreement"
"Rule of the able"
"Enforcement of domestic rules by an official military force"
"Form of control of misbehavior in a community carried out by peers"
"Sworn oath or pact of mutual support"
"A formal group with representatives in official positions and a recognizable platform and/or ideology"
"A formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority in respect of a particular cause"
"Each voter can vote only once. The candidate with the highest number of votes wins"
"Official domestic enforcement body"
"Providing benefits to members who comply with the rules of an organisation"
"Single leader with the highest power in the community but constrained by substantial checks and balances"
"Forced confinement of the perpetrator for a set time"
"Official at a court presenting evidence against the defendant"
"Form of (non)violent disapproval of the status quo"
"Meetings of a governance body are visible/audible to the entire community"
"Punishment of perpetrators by first, second, or third parties"
"Process of standardization of practices of governance"
"Office holder receives stipend or other form of compensation"
"Payment of money or kind proportionate to the damage inflicted"
"Members of a body are deliberately selected or elected with an eye to representing diverse sections of the group that the body belongs to"
"Form of punishment conducive to lower social standing of the perpetrator in the group"
"Principle whereby rules (rather than people) are considered to have ultimate authority"
"Way to check the background eligibility of a potential member or candidate"
"Seizing of property of the perpetrator by a second or a third party"
"Actions taken by the individual to deal with a dispute without the help of legal mechanism"
"Refusal to work as a form of protest against the status quo"
"Requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half"
"Suspension of membership or expulsion from an organisation which provides benefits to the member, could vary in time "
"Temporary position of power"
"Rule of a deity through religious authorities or intermediaries"
"formal body tasked with resolving disputes"
"Official administrator, holder of property or responsibility in a position of trust"
"All voters must agree"
"Rejection of legislation by an official"
"Method of collective decision-making "