Civic Assemblies
It turns out, government truly by and for the people works beautifully.
For decades, a different model has been quietly proving itself: civic assemblies. Take a representative group of everyday citizens, give them time and resources, and watch what happens. The results keep surprising people who've only ever seen politics run through the party machine.
In over a thousand civic assemblies worldwide, everyday citizens reliably study issues more deeply, deliberate more earnestly, and produce more broadly beneficial policy solutions than elected politicians. Research spanning 30+ years, across dozens of countries, shows the track record is real and the stories remarkable.
Selected by democratic lotteries, civic assemblies are far more representative of the public than electoral bodies. They hear testimony from experts, officials, and people with lived experience; they deliberate with the support of skilled facilitators, and they deliver concrete proposals. Without the contaminant of electoral politics, they reliably focus on pragmatic policy solutions, typically advancing proposals with supermajority approval of 70% or higher.
Just one problem: no power
Like juries, civic assemblies (which are sometimes called citizens' juries) have earned public trust. But unlike juries, they lack authority. People in power make their rules, set their agenda, and pick their facilitators and experts. Most assemblies can only submit advisory reports, and all too often politicians ignore recommendations that don't fit their agenda.