Real and virtual worlds

In a world without sovereignty, however, the biggest question is what happens to international borders? How are virtual choices to take effect in the physical world?

At a 'domestic' level, Part II set out how the choices of citizens would be made in order of preference, with algorithms deciding which options are then delivered by local administration.

As frameworks become available globally, however, it is important to consider what this means in practice.

For example, if millions of people around the world opted into the Californian higher education policy framework, would this give them all the right to attend the state's universities?

Such an option would clearly be impractical, but there are two ways in which such choices could be meaningfully implemented.

The first could see Californian residents endorsing a framework which allowed a certain number of foreign nationals to attend local universities, and most likely requiring them to pay the same, or higher, level of fees and taxes to maintain the system as Californians themselves had opted to pay.

The second option, for those for one reason or another unable to attend universities actually in California, is for the syllabus of a particular university course to be taught locally. This might mean missing out on Californian weather, but could help to ensure that the most effective and practical courses which meet local requirements are spread around the globe.

This would require enough people to have opted into the framework in order to fund any extra investment needed to deliver it, whether in skilled lecturers and professors or physical equipment. If this has not happened then a second or third preference for higher education policy will be delivered instead.

Of course, building up a first class higher education system can take years, if not decades, so it is possible that higher taxes in order to fund such a system (or lower taxes in order to pay higher private fees) could become a metaframework in which the majority of a population commits to a long term plan for improved service delivery.

So with either of these two options, and in order to prevent overcrowding on sunny tropical islands, border controls are likely to remain a requirement. A state's role in administering local services will also therefore continue to include border enforcement.