NationStates Jolt Archive

Proposed New Form of Gov't: The Meritocracy

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I posted this in the UN section, but was told that this was a "Game Mechanics" issue, so I am posting it here.

I would like to propose a new form of government: The Meritocracy.

This is how it works:

1. All people have civil rights guaranteed by a written consitution.

2. HOWEVER, the right to vote must be earned. In order to vote, you must prove that you are concerned about society by performing the equivalent of two years of Civil or Military Service. The service does not have to be contiguous, but it can be. For example, if you were in the National Guard, your accumulated weekend and active time served would count towards you getting the voting franchise. Civil Service might include working on highway projects, serving as a police or hospital auxilary, being a volunteer firefighter or EMT.

Accomodations can be made for handicaps. For example if you are wheelchair bound, being a firefighter might be out of the question...but being a police dispatcher is certainly reasonable as are any number of other occupations.

3. In order to run for any public office you must serve an additional year.

So how do we make this happen?

I see this as increasing your civil rights because it encourages civic envolvment and appreciation of those rights.

[name] The Meritocracy.

[Validity] Valid for any democracy, republic or confederacy.

[option]Political Threorist @@Random Name@@ suggests that people have become socially lazy..."And they are politically ignorant. They should be required to serve two years of civil or military service before they can vote and another additional year if you want ot run for office."

[option] Talking head @@Random Name@@ says: "Bosh! As a member of the entrenched political aristocracy, I think everyone should be able to vote for ME regardless of what they know or what they've done."

Seems like a good idea for an issue, but the way you've written it seems very biased, especially since there are only 2 options.


Maybe someone could rewrite it...

It will also be some time before your population reaches 500 million.

I'm not sure about this. I don't think that you can "create" a new form of government.

This is something that shouldn't be suggested as an issue, but rather an addition to the UN Government categories.

This is something that shouldn't be suggested as an issue, but rather an addition to the UN Government categories.



Really? I thought the people who ran the game had repeatedly refused to create any more UN Government Categories, has something changed recently?

Really? I thought the people who ran the game had repeatedly refused to create any more UN Government Categories, has something changed recently?

I never said that we were actually accepting more categories, but if he wanted to propose a new goverment category, that this isn't the place to do it. Issues aren't needed to add a new UN category. I'd ask in Technical.

I never said that we were actually accepting more categories, but if he wanted to propose a new goverment category, that this isn't the place to do it. Issues aren't needed to add a new UN category. I'd ask in Technical.


I'd add the Meritocracy issue before creating a new government category, actually...Just seems easier.

I'd add the Meritocracy issue before creating a new government category, actually...Just seems easier.

There are no issues that will allow you to change the UN category of your government so blatantly. An issue for this would prove to be pointless. The only way you can change your UN category is to answer the issues, making it less obvious what government you would be next. If we were to make issues called "Socialism", "Technocracy", or "Monarchy", it would ruin the point of actually answering your issues. That is the fun of NS, you never know what to expect.

There are no issues that will allow you to change the UN category of your government so blatantly. An issue for this would prove to be pointless. The only way you can change your UN category is to answer the issues, making it less obvious what government you would be next. If we were to make issues called "Socialism", "Technocracy", or "Monarchy", it would ruin the point of actually answering your issues. That is the fun of NS, you never know what to expect.



Actually, I was'nt even suggesting that the Meritocracy issue change your UN Government Category....I was merely suggesting that it would be a very good issue to submit, if only the writer was'nt so biased in favor of Meritocracy, like the person who submitted this Thread in the first place....Then maybe later you could add a UN Category, but that is'nt necessary.


Someone unbiased should submit this as an issue...Infact, maybe i'll do it :)


::Puts on thinking cap and opens a txt file::Hmmmm...

I think I may have confused Euroslavia a wee bit about this. If done properly, this could be used as an issue, there's no need to add new UN categories for something like this.

Actually, I have become very uninterested in this game, so you may do what you want with Meritocracy.

BTW: Why shouldn't I be biased in favor of Meritocracy? If you can't get behind your own ideas, nobody else will.

I think I may have confused Euroslavia a wee bit about this. If done properly, this could be used as an issue, there's no need to add new UN categories for something like this.

I was under the impression that this person was looking to add a new UN category and didn't exactly know how to go around suggesting it, but I misunderstood. My apologies.

perhaps the part where you are asked if voting should be compulsory or not should have an added option for this system?

The way it's put forward sounds like it's straight out of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, an idea I've toyed with for quite a while, though it does have many disadvantages. As a game issue I think it could be very entertaining. There are many issues (e.g. Compulsory Voting), where the third option or so is to not allow people to vote and your brother @@NAME@@ suggests you call all the shots. Sounds like this is a variation on the theme, and could be put forward in a similar fashion.

Letokia, you said you may be submitting it as an issue, if you got around to it, cool, if not, I'll knock it out in the next few days, though I won't if you already have (enough proof-reading for the mods without some gob-sheen submitting duplicates!)

The Kingdom of Godwinnia already has a required period of 'national service', which would usually but not necessarily be in the armed forces, as a pre-requisite for voting rights: Admittedly this isn't actually included in its official description, but it IS explained in the 'NSwiki' article that I created about this nation. (I'm assuming that it's a reasonably plausible policy for a state which has had 'Yes' answered to the question about compulsory military in the original survey and option#1 selected for the voluntary/compulsory voting issue...)

I suppose another thing to consider is that meritocracy could be considered not a form of government, but a sociological phenomenon (phew, say that ten times fast!). What you propose is a meritocratic method of selecting those eligable to vote, but after that it's democratic. Meritocracy (not paerfectly, but almost) could better be viewed as the state of things in the western world today, where a person gets a job/promotion/government postition normally based on their merits in the eyes of those doing the selecting.
Job- interviewers
Promotion- Manager
Government Position- The Electorate.

If we agree to this much, it could be viewed to be more appropriate as a social issue for the individual nation to adopt rather than a UN definition of a form of government, as even in a perfectly meritocratic state someone must always assess ones merits, be it a dictator (dictatorship) or an electorate (democracy).