Suhteen

Suhteen is a fictional governance concept used in speculative fiction and world-building to describe a hybrid political arrangement that aims to balance broad citizen participation with expert advisory input to address complex, long-term social-ecological challenges. The term was coined in the early 22nd century by scholars of the imagined city-state of Liora. In the fictional etymology, suh- denotes binding or linking, while -teen signals a state or condition.

In practice, suhteen envisions layered decision-making: local participatory councils that deliberate on community needs, coordinated by expert panels that translate evidence into policy options. Decisions are supported by a shared data commons, with open access to environmental, economic, and social indicators. Constitutional norms in suhteen emphasize sunset clauses, periodic referendums on major policies, and adaptive governance that can adjust or rescind mandates when indicators show drift.

Variants include rapid-response suhteen, which prioritizes swift technocratic action during crises, and deliberative suhteen, which extends deliberation periods and seeks broader lay participation. Implementations are depicted as modular and scalable across regions, from urban districts to nation-states in fictional settings.

Critics in the fictional literature point to risks of technocratic bias, data governance challenges, and potential elite capture, arguing that genuine accountability requires robust, transparent citizen education and safeguards against manipulation of information.

See also: direct democracy, technocracy, participatory budgeting, adaptive governance.

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