More Democracy is the Answer

Citizens' Assemblies

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Democracy is in decline around the world. This isn’t just a feeling from people concerned about increased populism and authoritarianism. Data backs up those feelings.  According to the recent report from the Global State of Democracy Initiative, half of all countries saw a decline in at least one indicator of democracy over the past five years (2018 – 2023), net declines in democracy outnumbered net advances for the sixth consecutive year, and broad decline was seen in representation, rights and the rule of law in every region.

People don’t want to give up on democracy, even though they see backsliding. According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, people across 24 surveyed countries believe that their democracies could improve by expanding public participation and civic engagement. In nearly every country surveyed, better representation, improved competence, and a higher level of responsiveness are cited as needed improvements to democracy. 

The decline in faith in democracy is also tied to rising global inequality. People know that inequality is increasing. They don’t see their governments doing anything about it. They see that it is getting harder to stay in the global middle class. Here are some highlights from the recent Oxfam report, Inequality Inc.

-            The world’s richest 1% own 43% of all global financial assets.

-            The richest 1% emit as much carbon pollution as the poorest 2/3 of humanity.

-            Just 0.4% of the world’s 1,600 largest companies are committed to paying workers a living wage and support paying a living wage through their value chains.

         

“They don’t, they don’t speak for us.”

People increasingly understand that their governments do not speak for them, but speak for the wealthy, corporations, and special interests. It is no surprise then that democracy is in decline, and that authoritarians who promise easy answers are on the rise. People are increasingly coming to the realizations that their leaders are the reasons that they can’t have nice things.

The government is supposed to speak for us, but they don’t, and everyone knows that they don’t. I’ll use the United States, where I live, as an example. Below is a short summary of things that a majority of Americans want but can’t have because our leaders won’t let us.

-            85% of Americans say workers should have paid family leave to deal with their serious health conditions, 82% say mothers should have paid family leave following the birth or adoption of a child, 69% say fathers should receive paid family leave following birth or adoption of their child, 67% say workers should receive paid family leave to care for members of their family with a serious health condition.

-            79% of Americans support increasing the minimum age for buying guns to 21, and 66% support banning high-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and 64% support banning assault-style weapons.

-            Over half of Americans support universal healthcare for all Americans. Currently, the United States is the only OECD country without universal healthcare for its citizens.  

-            Two-thirds of Americans think government should do more on climate change. 59% of Americans think government regulations should limit emissions from power plants and vehicles, and companies should pay a tax on the carbon they emit.

None of these things are going to happen under our current system of government. Everyone knows this. It is little wonder why the faith in democracy is slipping. The corporations who own our politicians won’t allow it. I could add a dozen more things that Americans support that the government won’t do, but that would be even more depressing.

So, if they don’t speak for us, we need to stand up and speak for ourselves.

That is where citizens’ assemblies come in.

How does this all work?

Citizens’ assemblies are a way to increase public presentation in government decision-making. A citizen’s assembly gathers people that form a representative sample of the public (either locally or nationally) to discuss and make recommendations on important issues. Citizens’ assemblies are a tool that inserts the public directly into the governing process and can even give governments “cover” when making difficult decisions.

If you are interested in starting your own citizens’ assembly, or interested in how this all works, there is a fantastic resource at your disposal. You can check out Citizens’ Assemblies: Guide to Democracy that Works, by Marcin Gerwin. The PDF is available at the link above. It is short, eminently readable, and available in 6 different languages. I encourage you to take a look at it yourself, but I will summarize some of the steps below in putting together a citizens’ assembly.

-            Topic Selection – What is the citizens’ assembly about?

-            Size of assembly – Size of the assembly to adequately represent the population.

-            Ideal composition of assembly – Representative of the population.

-            Registration of people willing to participate - Find participants.

-            Promoting citizens’ assembly – Even citizen assemblies need to advertise.

-            Selecting members – Select members through sortition.

-            Using facilitators – Professional facilitators help guide the process.

-            Developing recommendations – The assembly decides on recommendations.

-            Verifying consensus – Consensus of result helps legitimize the process.

-            Announcement of results – Results need to be public

-            Implementation of recommendations – Work with government to implement.

-            Making these assemblies a permanent part of democracy. – Rinse and repeat.

Here are some examples of recent citizens’ assemblies:

Ireland recently put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, based on proposals from a citizens’ assembly focused on regarding gender equality.

A citizens’ assembly in Montrose Colorado, in the US, focused on making child care accessible and other community issues.

Paris has adopted a permanent citizens’ assembly of 100 people who are rotated every year. The initial assembly on climate change was highly publicized, and embraced by the French government, helping the citizens of France see the assembly as something that both they and the government should take seriously.  

In 2011, the Belgian government selected 1,000 people through sortition to participate in a citizens’ summit known as the G1000 to advise the government. The country now has four permanent citizens’ assemblies, including one to address climate change.

If you are interested in jumping down the citizens’ assembly rabbit hole, you can check out a list of previous citizens’ assemblies worldwide. Burgerrat – Citizens’ assemblies worldwide

It is a good tool, now use it.

Citizens’ assemblies, because of their nature are likely to always produce better outcomes than politicians.

-            They don’t have to worry about reelection.

-            By design, they will always represent the population.

-            They can’t be lobbied.

-            They ensure everyone understands the issue.

-            They don’t make recommendations without consensus.

Citizens’ assemblies are a great tool for enhancing democracy and helping/forcing politicians to consider the voices of their constituents to a greater extent. As the number of citizens’ assemblies increases, it will be easier for citizens to see the benefits of such a tool.

Citizens’ assemblies take back some of the power we have ceded to our political leaders. Wise policymakers should welcome them. Citizens’ assemblies not only give politicians cover when making hard decisions, but they are wildly popular. Most people support citizens’ assemblies because they can see direct democracy working in a non-partisan way. Politicians who support citizens’ assemblies will not only have a partner who can help them sell hard decisions to the public but can be seen as defenders of democracy.

So, if you want more democracy, ask for it. Demand it. Demand more representation from a citizens’ assembly. Tell your representatives how citizens’ assemblies will help them as well. Citizens’ assemblies will help them do the heavy lifting on tough issues, and it can paint them as champions of democracy. All they have to do is give up a little bit of power.

Now that you know what a citizens’ assembly is, organize your own citizens’ assembly to address some of the important issues that your government hasn’t addressed.

Get caught trying.