Is Any Political System Better Than Representational Democracy?

[Halcyon]

I've said it before, but there is no perfect universal political system. We all see the repercussions of forcing democracy on countries that didn't evolve it on their own. Every culture will have a form of government that suits it best, for some that may be democracy for others it could be a monarchy or dictatorship. There isn't a one shoe fits all answer.

 

[Valjean]

Hmmmmm...
A robotic world defense system might not be a bad idea.

Gort for president!

 

[Elessar]

Practical in what sense?

In theory, you could create a system much better, with an egalitarian meritocratic dictatorship, which would be much better for society in general - you keep all political freedoms and civil rights, except of course, voting, get to continue in a fashion however you wish, and the state is run cleanly and efficiently for the benefit of everyone by those who are most competent.

However, there is no practical way to set up this government to ensure both that it works as it is intended to and to set up a continuation of government from one generation to the next.

 

[StudentOfGod]

I agree with above post that there is no perfect system and that whether or not a political system works is dependent on the culture that it is meant to govern.

For example, I can't imagine China working as well under a democracy as it does under Communism. Not because of the size of the population (since it seems to work for India), but because of the nature of the people. As a hilarious thought experiment, try to imagine China operating under an electoral college.

That being said, if I had to choose a political system, I would like a democracy operating under a proportional representation system. Upside is that every person's vote counts (as opposed to the necessity for strategic voting). Downside is the increased likelihood of a permanent minority government where nothing gets done.