Sac i sort: vells i nous models de democràcia aleatòria

This short paper describes the growing trend of democracy by lot, or sortition, as a modern form of democratic innovation. It highlights the case of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, which is establishing a permanent citizens' council (Bürgerrat) chosen randomly to make policy recommendations. This practice is seen as a response to a crisis in traditional electoral democracy, offering a way to create more representative citizen bodies. The text also traces the historical roots of this idea to classical Athenian democracy and medieval Catalunya, and discusses how new technologies and statistical methods make it more feasible today. The paper concludes that while these initiatives are complex, they represent a hopeful path for democratic reform in an era of political disillusionment.

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Publication Details

Published
2025-08-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/dv3xz_v1
Primary Topic
Spanish History and Politics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Sac i sort: vells i nous models de democràcia aleatòria

Marta Poblet
Spanish History and Politics
article

Sac i sort: vells i nous models de democràcia aleatòria

Marta Poblet
article en

Abstract

This short paper describes the growing trend of democracy by lot, or sortition, as a modern form of democratic innovation. It highlights the case of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, which is establishing a permanent citizens' council (Bürgerrat) chosen randomly to make policy recommendations. This practice is seen as a response to a crisis in traditional electoral democracy, offering a way to create more representative citizen bodies. The text also traces the historical roots of this idea to classical Athenian democracy and medieval Catalunya, and discusses how new technologies and statistical methods make it more feasible today. The paper concludes that while these initiatives are complex, they represent a hopeful path for democratic reform in an era of political disillusionment.

MIT University (MK), RMIT University (AU)
Openalex Percentile: Top 81%
Spanish History and Politics
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