The Democratic Potential of Citizens’ Assemblies: Discussion with Q&A

2022 Thomas Mann Fellow Christine Landfried, political scientist James S. Fishkin and Dawn Nakagawa (Berggruen Institute) discuss the democratic potential of citizens’ assemblies.

For over a decade, we have observed how representative democracy in Europe as well as in the United States is endangered. A growing segment of the population is not only losing trust in political elites, but also in democratic institutions. Losing trust in democratic governance also means that people are more and more frightened of the future. Can a more active political participation be a solution to regain trust in political institutions? Political scientist and 2022 Thomas Mann Fellow Christine Landfried, political scientist James S. Fishkin (Stanford University) and journalist Joe Mathews will discuss the democratic potential of citizens’ assemblies and how they can help renew the democratic project on both sides of the Atlantic. The conversation will be facilitated by Dawn Nakagawa, Executive Vice President of the Berggruen Institute.

New forms of citizens’ participation, such as citizens’ assemblies, are a way to strengthen democracy. Groups of randomly selected citizens develop proposals for the solution of political problems and conflicts on the basis of an informed deliberation. In California, for example, the first municipal citizens’ assembly was just established in the city of Petaluma. Citizens will make recommendations for the future use of the city’s fairground – a contentious issue for many years. In the European Union, 800 citizens recently reflected on the future of Europe and exchanged their ideas with politicians. This “Conference on the Future of Europe” proposed far-reaching reforms that will make necessary treaty changes. Thus, changes that had been avoided by politicians for a long time are now on the agenda. The question is: can such assemblies succeed in counteracting the erosion of representative democracy?

An event by the Thomas Mann House in collaboration with the Los Angeles Public Library and Zocalo Public Square.

[wardrone]

I don’t understand why this citizens assembly structure is being imagined only as a one body representative of the whole country. Of course it would not be democratic of you imagine it that way. Imagine if citizens assembly is placed at the local levels then imagine you can have one for each zip code. The neighborhood government. They could select amongst them the participants for the county levels. The county assemblies then select the state assemblies. State could pick National Assembly. If you do it that way it would be a good way to develop a democratic participatory government without elections. Rotating to new participants every three months, According to my calculations, if the body comprises of 500 participants serving 3 months to one year rotation term, every citizen in the size of USA would receive an invite every 2-4 years. You could have varying participation durations and the citizen can decide how long to participate from one month up to 2 years. You can organize a core body that are there 2 years while others may choose one month durations. Remote participation will have to included. Overall this shows that the assembly could be envisioned as wholly a government without elections but more inclusive and still with representatives for county and state levels where those representatives pick representatives to build the National Assembly.