I've been playing a lot of this fan mod of Civilization IV that's had crazy amounts of work put into it, which includes some ruling policy options that are only available with current and future technology. I'll list them (along with a few other options, for reference), and I'd love to hear what you all think. Like, would it be worth the risk to adapt any of them ever? Are some only good in theory? Are some inherently better than others? And so on.
Rule:
Already thought up- nobility, senate, bureaucracy, president, single party
Future- technocracy (engineers and scientists have the most political power) and virtual ("power is in the hands of the people who use computer technology to vote directly on laws". so basically, citizens use computers to propose and vote on laws and stuff, no politicians necessary)
Economy:
Already thought up- barter, slavery, coinage, guilds, mercantile, free market, regulated
Future- green (as in ACTUALLY 100% green, humanity does so much more good than harm to the environment to such an extent that the evidence in our favor is overwhelming) and Post-Scarcity (What's money?)
Military:
Already thought up- pacifism, MAD
Future- Unmanned Warfare (technically partially implemented today, but going whole-hog would mean being able to control all operations remotely without potential loss of life, and could require things like unmanned vehicles, network attacks, and AI systems)
Welfare:
Already thought up- Church, Public Works, Private, Corporate, Subsidized, Socialized
Future- Superhuman (as many humans as possible are genetically engineered to maximize their potential health, intelligence, strength, etc. while those that do not get so lucky serve as an underclass and do tasks that aren't important enough for the modified humans but too expensive to deal with through robotics) and Paradise (government commits itself fully to making as close as possible a "heaven on earth" i.e. no disease, no mental health issues, no pollution, high standards of living for everyone, etc. through the use of technology.)
Sorry if this is a little too open-ended. Feel free to share your thoughts, because while I don't have much to say on the issue myself, I really would like to read all of your thoughts (on this topic, I mean.)