Polity is a general term that refers to political organization of a group. It is often used to describe a loosely organized society such as a tribe or community, but can mean any political group including a government or empire, corporation or academy. It is also used to describe religious political organizations, particularly Christian. Subtypes of polities include hierarchical, presbyterial, and congregational.
Aristotle described a polity as rule by the many, who are neither wealthy nor poor, in the interests of the whole community. He believed it to be the ideal form of government somewhere between oligarchy and democracy.
Polity is also the name of a UK-based social sciences and humanities publisher that publishes a famous data set used to measure civil and political freedoms around the world (see http://www.polity.co.uk/ for more)
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