DemocracyNext
DemocracyNext (demnext.org) is a research institute whose position is that sortition should replace elections as the central mechanism of democratic governance — not merely complement them. This distinguishes it from organisations that treat citizens' assemblies as an add-on to existing representative systems.
The institute publishes research, convenes practitioners and theorists, and develops the intellectual case for sortition-based democracy — drawing on ancient Athenian practice, modern complexity theory, and the accumulated evidence from contemporary citizens' assemblies. It engages with both the theoretical questions (legitimacy, representation, deliberation quality) and the design questions (how to build stable institutions around random selection).
DemocracyNext is a useful reference for understanding the strongest case for sortition as a primary governance mechanism, as distinct from its use as a supplementary or advisory tool.
Key people
- Claudia Chwalisz — founder. Previously led the OECD's work on innovative citizen participation, building the international evidence base for deliberative processes in public governance before founding DemocracyNext in 2022 to develop the full institutional case for sortition-based democracy.1
Links
- Website: demnext.org