The culture of The Culture

[Rynn]

I don't know that modosophonts have no say in the running of their societies. Ultimately that may be true but we've got it mentioned a few places in the canon that local politics can be left to modosophonts (with "local" ranging from neighbourhoods to solar systems depending on the empire). Caveat being that modosophont governments have to operate within the framework defined by the archai, a kind of constitutional monarchy.