Fan Out - RichardAlexanderGreen/WorldGovGame GitHub Wiki

In our idealized administrative hierarchy, we have designed a fan-out ratio of 8. We picked this number because it is the ideal size for a committee. Not too large and not too small.

The constitution should have some means of "re-districting" to maintain this ratio and to assure the intended capabilities of the subunits. For example: If the fan-out falls below 5 or exceeds (say) 10, the redistricting algorithm should be applied to rebalance that unit by reassigning adjacent subunits.

How does this compare to the existing USA fan-out ratios?

The USA federal system has a fan-out ratio on the order of 50-60 for the first two layers.

• USA ==> 50 states + several territories.
• States have an average of about 50 counties.

The next two levels tend to have a smaller fan-out.

• Each county has an average of about 21 municipal units.
• Each city or town ==> 5-50 city council members that typically represent smaller geographic subdivisions (wards). (Some cities elect council members at-large.)

---

(a) The county Richard lives in has 27 cities, villages and townships.
(b) According to the 2002 U.S. Census of Governments, there were more than 34,000 local general-purpose governments with less than 25,000 residents and 31,000 local general-purpose governments with less than 10,000 residents.
(c) The city Richard lives in has 10 council members and a separately elected mayor.