Representation and citizens' assemblies

Abstract

Citizens' Assemblies (CAs) are commonly seen as institutions that provide descriptive representation, but this is only one type of representation that CAs can provide. In this chapter, I address several concerns that have been raised about CAs as representative institutions. I then discuss four types of representation that they provide: 1) descriptive; 2) discursive; 3); surrogate; and 4) gyroscopic. These forms of representation, as realized in the CAs, do not provide, or require direct links of accountability between the representatives and the represented. Indeed, the latter three forms of representation are made possible only because the representatives who serve on CAs are not constrained by the demands of specific constituencies. I argue that this is a strength, rather than a weakness of the CA model, and it does not undermine the democratic character of these institutions. The CAs are democratically legitimate, just in different ways than elected assemblies.