Deliberative Mini-Publics as a Democratic Alternative: The Normative Desirability, Technical Feasibility, and Political Viability of Sortition

Abstract

: Democratic societies are currently facing a legitimacy crisis, as evidenced by citizens’ distrust towards political institutions and parties, as well as the emergence of anti-democratic responses. To address this crisis some civil society actors and scholars have proposed alternatives based on radical egalitarian principles that can be classified as “real utopias”. To overcome the contradiction between utopia and reality, these alternatives need to extend beyond what is considered normatively desirable and must also be both technically feasible and politically viable. This paper aims to analyze sortition and mini-publics as one of those alternatives.