Description:

"Democratic Representation Beyond Elections"

Helene Landemore-Jelaca

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science

Yale University

The format is pre-read. The speaker will give brief opening remarks and we will then delve right into Q&A assuming people have read the text.

Democratic representation in the traditional paradigm of "representative democracy" we have inherited from the 18th century is both too elitist and simplistic, singling out electoral representation as the only form of genuine democratic representation. In this chapter, I explore in greater depth the principle of "complex democratic representation" introduced in the previous chapter. I argue that under it are nested various types of democratic representation, including what I call "lottocratic" representation (based on sortition), "crowdsourced" representation (based on self-selection), and variously tweaked forms of electoral representation (e.g., on the model of delegated or liquid democracy.) I identify the democratic credentials of these new forms of democratic representation and consider the trade-offs involved in terms of both competence and overall legitimacy of the respective assemblies based on them.