What is the best form of government?

[ArrowNik]

Which form of government do you consider the best, given the fact that obviously it also depends on who the people who hold institutional roles are, but on average...

Capitalist Democracy

Socialist Democracy

Autocracy (including Monarchy)

Oligarchy

Communism

Anarchy

None of the above (specify in the comments)

[richardcory]

By "socialist" democracy do you mean a system where the government owns the means of production, or do you mean a system with strong social programs. (eg democratic socialism vs social democracy". They are very different things.

Most, probably all, democracies have some capitalism and some social programs

[ArrowNik]

I mean a system in which the ownership of the means of production is of the state or in any case the private owners are under strict state control. All in a democratic form with citizens electing a parliament of their representatives who control production on behalf of the people. There are various currents within each form of government, with different nuances, but to answer your question, with Socialist Democracy I mean a state that is in fact socialist but managed in a democratic and non-totalitarian way. Kind of what could have happened in the Soviet Union if Gorbachev's reforms had been successful.

[richardcory]

OK understood. In that case I'll vote for capitalist democracy. That system has two axes of power - the wealthy elite, and govt officials and those groups are not the same. Each acts as some level of restraint on the other.

In a socialist system all the power and wealth are controlled by the government so there is no check on their power. They naturally drift toward autocracy.

All that aside, democracy seems to have a number of serious issues, but there is no obviously bettter solution

[Dargil]

A Representative Democracy, AKA: A Republic. Capitalism is not a form of government. It is the economic product of representative government. Every other form involves the government control of production.

[ArrowNik]

If political decisions are strongly influenced by individuals who own newspapers, televisions, enormous private wealth and can "buy" politicians but at the same time allow citizens to vote and influence, at least in part, the destiny of society, that is what I consider a capitalist democracy, a country where capital counts a lot but is not everything (as instead happens in an oligarchy where a small elite of the powerful and wealthy commands completely)
Republic is an old and too generic definition for contemporary times, Cuba is a republic just like the USA but they are very different countries, or if you prefer the Soviet Union was formally a republic as the USA but very different in reality

[Dargil]

A State is not a Republic because it labels itself as that. Cuba is a communist totalitarian dictatorship. An actual Republic as, as I said, a representative democracy. Sure, there are influences, such as religion and corporate power, but that does not negate what a Republic is.

The Electoral Colleges is a strong preserver of the Republic.

[Agape93]

If one relies on civilization, social democracy. But if one can sustain themselves, anarchy.

[Agape93]

Personally I'd go with anarchy.

[RavVid]

Distinguishing between capitalism and socialist democracy is not a valid distinction as if it is a democracy it should work out to what people want.

[DextroShade]

It would be better I were the God-emperor and ran everything because none of these idiot leaders have it right.

[ArrowNik]

So autocracy with you as ruler :)

[DextroShade]

Exactly