Deliberative Super
Deliberative Super is a project by DOD member Craig Lambie that applies sortition and deliberative democracy to corporate governance — specifically, to the proxy advisory industry.
The problem it solves
When pension funds hold shares in companies, they must vote on corporate decisions at Annual General Meetings (AGMs): board appointments, executive pay, environmental policies, and more. In practice, these votes are guided by proxy advisors — specialist firms like ISS and Glass Lewis — who make voting recommendations on behalf of institutional investors.
The problem: proxy advisors consult no one. A small number of firms make high-stakes recommendations affecting millions of pension members' retirement savings, with no accountability to those members and no mechanism for their values to shape the decisions. Money flows from members through funds to companies — but decision power never flows back.
The solution
Deliberative Super replaces proxy advisor recommendations with recommendations produced by randomly selected pension fund members using structured deliberative processes:
- Sortition: 40 pension fund members selected by random lot, representative across demographics
- Compensation: participants paid professionally (£85/hour or £250–450/day, with travel and accommodation) — recognising their contribution as genuine democratic labour
- 6–12 month process: cohorts meet 3–8 times across accessible locations, hearing from diverse experts — lobby groups, think tanks, community organisations, indigenous groups
- Structured deliberation: balanced information, facilitated discussion, vote on AGM proposals
- Recommendations with backing: outputs go to pension fund trustees with the full weight of member democratic legitimacy behind them
Fresh cohorts address different companies and issues, preventing institutional capture. Continuous feedback loops between cohorts allow the process to improve over time.
Why it matters
This addresses several problems at once:
- Democratic legitimacy for corporate governance — recommendations carry member mandate, not just consultant opinion
- Values alignment — community and corporate values begin to converge when members have genuine influence over governance votes
- Beyond the squeaky wheel — sortition hears from quiet voices, not just the loudest stakeholders or most engaged members
- Long-term perspective — freed from political cycles and competitive pressures, deliberative panels tend toward more sustainable thinking
The sortition model also addresses a known failure mode of direct member voting: low participation rates and domination by vocal minorities. Random selection ensures representation across all demographics, not just those who opt in.
Academic backing
The model has been tested and studied by economists in the Netherlands and presented at Oxford.
Status
Early development — Craig is actively seeking a co-founder to help build this out. If you're interested in contributing or learning more:
- Website: deliberativesuper.com.au
- Contact: craiglambie.com/links
- Raise it in the DOD community channels