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a hepagram might be a neat logo:
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don't know where to put this:
Transparency and Comparative Executive Clemency: Global Lessons for Pardon Reform in the United States
http://repository.law.umich.edu/mjlr/vol49/iss4/3/
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Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2016 indicator questions (note: the multiple choice answers, which i have omitted here, are also enlightening, because of the different thresholds; eg it's great if 7% of the population is a member of a political party or NGO; it's great if <50% of the population favors rule by experts instead of government; but <10% of the population has to favor military rule for that to be considered great):
" I Electoral process and pluralism
1. Are elections for the national legislature and head of government free? Consider whether elections are competitive in that electors are free to vote and are offered a range of choices. 1: Essentially unrestricted conditions for the presentation of candidates (for example, no bans on major parties). 2. Are elections for the national legislature and head of government fair? 3. Are municipal elections both free and fair? 4. Is there universal suffrage for all adults? Bar generally accepted exclusions (for example, non-nationals; criminals; members of armed forces in some countries). 5. Can citizens cast their vote free of significant threats to their security from state or non-state bodies? 6. Do laws provide for broadly equal campaigning opportunities? 7. Is the process of financing political parties transparent and generally accepted? 8. Following elections, are the constitutional mechanisms for the orderly transfer of power from one government to another clear, established and accepted? 9. Are citizens free to form political parties that are independent of the government? 10. Do opposition parties have a realistic prospect of achieving government? 11. Is potential access to public office open to all citizens? 12. Are citizens allowed to form political and civic organisations, free of state interference and surveillance?
II Functioning of government 13. Do freely elected representatives determine government policy? 14. Is the legislature the supreme political body, with a clear supremacy over other branches of government? 15. Is there an effective system of checks and balances on the exercise of government authority? 16. Government is free of undue influence by the military or the security services. 17. Foreign powers and organisations do not determine important government functions or policies. 18. Do special economic, religious or other powerful domestic groups exercise significant political power, parallel to democratic institutions? 19. Are sufficient mechanisms and institutions in place for ensuring government accountability to the electorate in between elections? 20. Does the government’s authority extend over the full territory of the country? 21. Is the functioning of government open and transparent, with sufficient public access to information? 22. How pervasive is corruption? 23. Is the civil service willing to and capable of implementing government policy? 24. Popular perceptions of the extent to which citizens have free choice and control over their lives. 25. Public confidence in government. 26. Public confidence in political parties.
III Political participation 27. Voter participation/turn-out for national elections. (Average turnout in parliamentary elections since 2000. Turnout as proportion of population of voting age.) 28. Do ethnic, religious and other minorities have a reasonable degree of autonomy and voice in the political process? 29. Women in parliament. % of members of parliament who are women. 30. Extent of political participation. Membership of political parties and political non-governmental organisations. 31. Citizens’ engagement with politics. 32. The preparedness of population to take part in lawful demonstrations. 33. Adult literacy. 34. Extent to which adult population shows an interest in and follows politics in the news. 35. The authorities make a serious effort to promote political participation.
IV Democratic political culture 36. Is there a sufficient degree of societal consensus and cohesion to underpin a stable, functioning democracy? 37. Perceptions of leadership; proportion of the population that desires a strong leader who bypasses parliament and elections. 38. Perceptions of military rule; proportion of the population that would prefer military rule. 39. Perceptions of rule by experts or technocratic government; proportion of the population that would prefer rule by experts or technocrats. 40. Perception of democracy and public order; proportion of the population that believes that democracies are not good at maintaining public order. 41. Perception of democracy and the economic system; proportion of the population that believes that democracy benefits economic performance. If available, from World Values Survey % of people who disagree with the view that the economic system is badly run in democracies. 42. Degree of popular support for democracy. 43. There is a strong tradition of the separation of Church and State. 44. Is there a free electronic media? 45. Is there a free print media? 46. Is there freedom of expression and protest (bar only generally accepted restrictions, such as banning advocacy of violence)? 47. Is media coverage robust? 48. Are there political restrictions on access to the Internet? 49. Are citizens free to form professional organisations and trade unions? 50. Do institutions provide citizens with the opportunity to petition government to redress grievances? 51. The use of torture by the state. 52. The degree to which the judiciary is independent of government influence. Consider the views of international legal and judicial watchdogs. Have the courts ever issued an important judgement against the government, or a senior government official? 53. The degree of religious tolerance and freedom of religious expression. Are all religions permitted to operate freely, or are some restricted? 54. The degree to which citizens are treated equally under the law. Consider whether favoured groups or individuals are spared prosecution under the law. 55. Do citizens enjoy basic security? 56. Extent to which private property rights are protected and private business is free from undue government influence 57. Extent to which citizens enjoy personal freedoms. Consider gender equality, right to travel, choice of work and study. 58. Popular perceptions on protection of human rights; proportion of the population that think that basic human rights are well-protected. 59. There is no significant discrimination on the basis of people’s race, colour or religious beliefs. 60. Extent to which the government invokes new risks and threats as an excuse for curbing civil liberties.
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for the user levels, i used to call the level just above Member "Senior Members" but i felt that this sets the expectation that every Member should eventually become a Senior Member if they stick around. So i looked for another word. Some words made the position sound too prestigious ('peer', 'partner', 'Core Member'). Some words are too weird (Censor, Tribune). The only powers of Senators over Members are: (a) to give away their own Influence (!) (b) to vote on Member and Senator admissions and expulsions (c) to vote on Bylaw amendments (d) possibility of being raised to Steward. These are all 'political' things involving that many people wouldn't be interested in, especially people who hate 'politics'; they all involve either (a) choosing who to trust or (b) governance procedure. So i felt that by giving them a 'political' name that seems a little out-of-place, it would show that this isn't really a job that everyone wants to do. I settled on Senator. A little awkward, because the Boardmembers are the things that most closely correspond to US Senators. But in some older systems the Senate was a lifetime or inherited appointment of (supposedly) 'respected people', and that's what i'm getting at here. Also, the word 'Senator' lines up nicely next to 'Steward' because 'Steward' has implications of just being a regent for others, whereas 'Senator' has implications of making one's own decisions.
Another alternative, though, would be to call Stewards Regents or Custodians and Senators Stewards. That might be better to avoid silly-sounding political names in non-political institutions.
what's the difference between Steward and Custodian? [1] says Stewards are active, Custodians are reactive. [2]