I like the system. That I have seen, there are currently two types in the game right now. One if the usual pod-people that basically screws the "good" guys in exchange of nothing. The second one is actually more balanced, every ideology getting some kind of benefit out of it (I prefer the "good" one because it's a reserach bonus and those bonuses are gold-pressed latinum to me).
I'ts nice to think that this time, the event system will be more varied in its options, sometimes giving better choices for one ideology or another. That seems a good improvement over the classis system. In addition, you can develp the three ideologies at the same time while the old system it was just a straight line going from one extreme to the other.
The type fo benefits doesn't seem bad to me. They have a chance to explore and expand the system. That may include follow-up events and/or hidden stats for future galactic events or whatever (remember screwing those blue natives early in the game? Guess who rebeled and took all the unobtanium).
The fact that you get a benefit/penalty as soon as you pick, is ok to me too. Now or later? In the end, once you know the event, it boils down to when you get the bonuses/penalties, and you will keep pikcing based on what you know it gives.
I don't want the system to die and I'd bet for Stardock trying to improve it along the alpha and beta.
By the way, the ideology buildings give you the most ideology points. At least if you are really trying to rank up some unlocks. You may want to slow down the process by unlocking first the first level of each idelogy so later in the game you can stock points of every ideology (thanks to building unlocked at first rank).