Politics & Government
Citizen assemblies and their role in deliberative democracy
Quick fact
In a citizen assembly, participants are randomly selected through a stratified lottery to reflect the population's demographics, not by election or wealth. This ensures diverse everyday voices, and their reasoned recommendations often lead to policy changes, as in Ireland's assembly on abortion and marriage equality.
Why this is interesting
You've heard of citizens' assemblies in the news, but how can a random group of people, chosen like a jury, help shape laws that affect millions?