Archetype

A typical, original or recurring model, image, or pattern from which other instances are derived or to which they are compared.

From Greek 'arkhetypon', 'arkhe-' (original, first) + 'typos' (model, pattern). Used in psychology by Carl Jung for universal symbols in the collective unconscious.

"Kerala's People's Plan Campaign (1996) remains the archetype of functional decentralisation that other Indian states have failed to replicate, despite 32 years of the 73rd Amendment."