Menu Close

Citizen Assemblies in Action

Click on the links below for information from a variety of sources.

Jay Weatherill, former premier of South Australia on the importance of Citizen Assemblies.

Reclaiming democracy through citizen assemblies – George Zarkadakis

Informed participation in political discourse requires time in order to obtain the necessary knowledge. Acknowledging that we may not have the time or inclination to gain a deep understanding of absolutely everything, we delegate responsibility to our representatives but trust in politicians is declining.

This video is part of the Constitutional Law Matters project of the Centre for Public Law, at the University of Cambridge. For more information see: https://constitutionallawmatters.org/

Why elections are bad for democracy

Elections were never meant to make democracy possible. On the contrary, they are an aristocratic tool, invented to keep the masses at bay. How can we democratize democracy? Here’s an alternative.

Democracy without Politicians (Claudia Chwalisz)

Instead of electing politicians to represent us…what if we just represented ourselves? Peer to peer. Neighbor to neighbor. Baratunde talks with Claudia Chwalisz about citizens’ assemblies—groups randomly-selected by lottery that are shifting political and legislative power into the hands of everyday people. Claudia is one of the world’s leading voices on citizens’ assemblies and founder and CEO of DemocracyNext, an organization working to build new institutions for the next democratic paradigm.

How to Citizen

Listen: BBC Sounds | Positive Thinking | Citizens’ Assemblies

Sangita Myska talks to writer, historian and democratic innovator David Van Reybrouck, who spearheaded the first permanent citizens’ assembly in the world in the tiny region of German-speaking East Belgium. His Peoples’ Senate, whose participants are selected randomly by lot, is carefully stitched into the fabric of government.

When the People Speak – Deliberative Democracy and Public Consultation –
James S. Fishkin
Major new discussion of a revolutionary technique in democratic decision making
Democratic theory for the twenty-first century

Deliberative Democracy in America – A Proposal for a Popular Branch of Government, Ethan J. Leib

Leib takes special pains to show how this new branch would be integrated with the already existing governmental and political institutions of our society, including administrative agencies and political parties, and would thus complement rather than supplant them.

Democracy is in bad health. Against Elections offers a new diagnosis – and an ancient remedy.

Fear-mongering populists, distrust in the establishment, personality contests instead of reasoned debate: these are the results of the latest elections.
In fact, as this ingenious book shows, the original purpose of elections was to exclude the people from power by appointing an elite to govern over them.
Yet for most of its 3000-year history, democracy did not involve elections at all: members of the public were appointed to positions in government through a combination of volunteering and lottery.
Based on studies and trials from around the globe, this hugely influential manifesto presents the practical case for a true democracy – one that actually works.

Urgent, heretical and completely convincing, Against Elections leaves only one question to be answered: what are we waiting for?

What are we doing to ourselves when we tell ourselves we’re Consumers 3000 times a day?
 What would it look like to put the same creativity and energy into involving people as Citizens?
What would you do in this time, if you truly believed in yourself and those around you?

Jon Alexander spent the first decade of his career in the advertising industry, selling some of the world’s biggest brands. Then he realised he was caught up in a story he didn’t believe in – the Consumer Story.

Your all-access pass to the specialised world of facilitating deliberations
Go on a journey with MosaicLab directors Kimbra White, Nicole Hunter and Keith Greaves as they take you behind the scenes of a public deliberation in this comprehensive, practical guide.

Drawn from the authors’ experience delivering 39 deliberative engagement processes, the book is full of insider secrets, authentic lessons learned and step-by-step advice.

This book is for facilitators, changemakers, engagement professionals, decision makers – anyone looking to solve complex problems and increase trust between leaders and their communities.

The Wisdom of Crowds – James Surowiecki

In this fascinating book, New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant–better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.

With boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, behavioral economics, artificial intelligence, military history, and politics to show how this simple idea offers important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, run our companies, and think about our world.

Voices of us: The independents’ movement transforming Australian democracy – Tim Dunlop

Australian politics is changing. The two-party system is disappearing, and the balance of power is shifting. While these changes might feel fragile, we may just be on the precipice of a transformative era for democracy in Australia.

At the 2022 federal election, Australia voted – not just for change in individual seats – but a realignment of the way in which our political system works.

This book is about how that happened.

The End of Politicians: Time for a Real Democracy – by Brett Hennig

Our politics is broken, but it can be fixed.
A real democracy is not only possible — it is an urgent necessity.

Provocative, succinct and inspiring, The End of Politicians combines insights from the history of democracy with a critical understanding of the information revolution to explain how we can fix democracy by eliminating politicians and replacing them with a representative network of everyday citizens.

A wealth of recent evidence has shown that groups of randomly selected, ordinary people can and do make balanced, informed and trusted decisions. These citizens’ assemblies are legitimate, accountable, competent and, above all, convincing demonstrations that we can govern ourselves.

The Future of Everything: Big, audacious ideas for a better world – Tim Dunlop

We are in the middle of the greatest technological revolution in history. It could give all of us a better quality of life and new, more cooperative ways of living. Or it could further concentrate the world’s wealth in the hands of a few. This book offers a bold vision for ensuring that we achieve the former. Tim Dunlop spells out his ideas for reclaiming common ground systematically, arguing the case for more public ownership of essential assets, more public space, a transparent media system, and an education that prepares us for the future, not the past. His vision for improved democracies and societies is practical and realistic, grounded in knowledge of what we are doing well and what we must do better.

Rescuing Democracy: How Public Deliberation Can Curb Government Failure – Paul E Smith

This overview of the book serves as an introduction and also as a compact explanation of the design and intended function of the new institution it prescribes as a remedy for democratic dysfunction. That explanation should help those who want to understand this design without reading the whole book, as well as those who do read it but then find they need a summary to help them judge the potential of this prescription.

Game Of Mates: How favours bleed the nation – Cameron K. Murray, P. Frijters

James is our most mundane villain. His victim is Bruce, our typical Aussie, who bleeds from the hip pocket because of James’ actions. Game of Mates tells a tale of economic theft across major sectors of Australia’s economy, showing how James and his group of well-connected Mates siphon off billions from the economy to line their own pockets. In property, mining, transport, banking, superannuation, and many more sectors, James and his Mates cooperate to steal huge chunks of the economic pie for themselves. If you want to know how much this costs the nation, how it is done, and what we can do about it, Game of Mates is the book for you.