Yes I use 'best' for buying and selling strategies as well. With fully upgraded corporations, you shouldn't see even surplus products go unsold for long.
In regards to your question, a 'democracy' is direct rule by the people. That is where the people vote on every matter of state, and the majority always decides the path of the society. Sometimes they even vote in a dictator, but they also vote them out at times as well. Whenever a large group congregates in the capital city of a 'democracy,' the laws can be altered to no limit. These laws are usually not complex and regularly changes. 'Democracies' do not have constitutions, only CULTural traditions. 'Democracies' are usually extremely nationalistic. As far as I know, there are no 'democracies' in the real world. An example of a 'democracy' is ancient Athens. 'Demo[s]-cracy' s a combination of two Greek words, 'mob' and 'rule.' 'Demos-cracy' literally means 'mob-rule.'
A 'REPublic' is rule by REPresentatives, which are put in power by majority vote from various local areas. Most nations in the real world are 'republics.' An example of a 'republic' is ancient Rome, which was ruled by a "senate" of representatives that represented different districts of Rome. Sometimes these representatives vote in dictators ("consuls," and later as Roman expanded, "emperors"), but they also vote them out at times as well. Sometimes these dictators were voted in with term limits, but often also reelected. Whenever the representatives meet in the capital cities, laws can be altered to no limit without something like a constitution, but usually not with the potential of wild fluctuations as with a 'democracy.' Laws are usually implemented gradually and these laws unfortunately often times get overly complex and bloated with self-interests. 'Republic' is a combination of two Latin words, 'res' (thing/affair) and 'publica.' (people) 'Res-publica' literally means 'people's-affair.'
When Rome expanded to control provinces, governors were appointed by the Senate in Rome. Because these provinces had their own autonomous leadership, they were their own sovereign nation-states under the military alliance of the Roman 'Republic,' and as such the Roman 'Republic' was the head of an 'Empire.' Similarily, when the Kingdom of England expanded to control other kingdoms, the kings and queens of England became 'Emperors,' (usually with the English king/queen holding the titles of king/queen of it's provinces), and thus the Kingdom of England became the 'British Empire.' America is also an 'Empire' today, in that the [representatives in the] District of Columbia rules over a military alliance of nation-states. Hence the name 'United [nation-]States.' The Senate and 'emperor' of America is not entirely unlike the Senate and 'consuls' or 'emperors' of Rome, except they are democratically elected by the majority, despite the rest of the 'government' on imperial and provincial levels being ruled by representatives. At the imperial level these are in two different assemblies which both are not unlike the senate of ancient Rome.
Point being, 'republics' and 'democracies' are two completely different forms of 'government.' Although most people think they are synonymous, they are not. Some 'republics' have 'democratic' aspects to them, but still maintain their representative foundations. Of the two, you cannot have an 'empire' without a 'republic,' but you can have a 'dictatorship' with both.
Simcountry only really has 'dictatorships,' but they allow to select a 'government type' in the settings page. Interestingly, 'republic' is not one of them, despite being the most common form of 'government' in the real world.
You may or may not find it interesting that 'govern-ment' is a combination of two Latin words, 'control' and 'mind.' 'Government' literally means 'control-mind.'
So I guess you could say I'm merely talking of different flavors of 'mind-control.'