World Map to Navigate Direct Democracy Policies

Monday, October 16, 2017

Did you ever do a background check about a country's Direct Democracy level? If you are an avid traveler and visit countries off the beaten path, you definitely should!

Okay, imagine you plan to travel abroad shortly. You know what countries you’d like to visit, and you know what follows – a comprehensive research on the internet. Before each trip, you’d better be sure that you checked everything about the country you’re visiting. Imagine that you didn’t do any research and find yourself in a different place than your expectations. Don’t leave your trip to nasty surprises, but start with reading all resources you may find online. You should read about different experiences of travelers who’ve already been to that place. An excellent source of that kind of information is travel blogs that are filled with useful trip information. Also, you will find many great pieces of advice that could potentially save you a lot of money and time that you probably want to invest in the experience.

Alright, once you think you’re done with the research, there are still many things left you to have to check. There is one thing I bet you never thought it would have an impact on your travel experience – the system of government. There are so many different types of government in the world, and it’s easy to lose track of that information while doing research. The type of government is a very significant thing because it’s not same if you’re traveling to monarchy or democracy. For example, the monarch rules the monarchy, and he is the person in charge of laws, constitution and has complete control over the country. At the other hand, there is a democracy where citizens have the power to choose and vote for different rules and representatives. Maybe you don’t think the government type will make a huge difference on your experience, but that’s not a case. Depending on a government type, the level of corruption, the effectiveness of country services and people's’ behavior toward foreigners differ from country to country.

So, let’s talk about direct democracy and why should you consider visiting that type of government type.

What is a Direct Democracy?

That type of democracy originates from the ancient Greeks, and the people have the power to decide about the policies and laws directly. There is a huge difference between modern democracy and this type as in modern type; people are only in power to choose the representative they believe are the best fit for the country. On the first sight, it may seem the same, but imagine you have the power to change and vote for policy initiatives directly.

When you find yourself in the environment where people are directly voting for the laws and regulations, do you think it will be more peaceful and happier place to be?

World Map to Navigate Direct Democracy Policies
World Map to Navigate Direct Democracy Policies

How to Check the Government Type of the Country

Whenever I plan my next trip, I make sure to collect many details about the country as it can be surprising if you don’t take the time to do a proper research. For checking the democracy level of a country, Direct Democracy Navigator is the best source.

This site looks pretty straightforward, and it’s easy to navigate through it. There is a world map that is showing different democracy practices worldwide. Currently, you can find 113 countries on the map with the more than 1500 legal designs. Right now, the project is still in the development where people are collecting all the information regarding procedures, practices, and events in countries around the world. The map is collecting the data from local, regional, national and transnational jurisdictions around the world. Collected data is very accurate, and you can check the current status of government type in the selected country.

If you want to check the actual status of direct democracy in the country, all you need to do is to put the cursor on the place you want to visit. Then you will be able to research the procedures in the chosen country on different political levels. As the project is still in development, the authors are looking for more people who’d like to help in collecting the information to make this tool even more useful for the travelers.

The first step of contributing to the platform is the creation of the profile. Once you have a profile, you’ll be able to comment and leaving feedback, so developers would be able to recognize on which part they need to focus.

Now you have all the information on how to check the government type of the countries around the world. Maybe it doesn’t sound like the crucial thing to check before you travel, but you should collect that information too. There is a huge difference if the country practices a form of democracy or the country is a pure monarchy. Laws, regulations, and culture differ tremendously depending on a government type which is directly related to the experience you would have during your trip. If you’re interested in helping and contributing, you can start working with other developers on the project to make it even more accurate.