New Books Network Hélène Landemore, "Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule" (Penguin, 2026)
Feb 12, 2026
Hélène Landemore, Yale political theorist who studies democratic theory and AI ethics. She argues for lot-based citizen governance. Topics include using lotteries to select ordinary people for decision-making. She explores citizens’ assemblies, their community-building power, risks of capture, and applying sortition beyond government to institutions like pensions and corporations.
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Sortition Improves Democratic Knowledge
- Democracy's epistemic strength improves when representatives are selected by lot rather than election.
- Random selection increases cognitive diversity and improves collective decision-making.
Deliberation Builds Civic Bonds
- Citizens' assemblies generate emotional transformations like solidarity and civic love, not just policy output.
- These emotional bonds empower marginalized 'shy' people to participate and speak up.
Stratify Random Samples For Small Juries
- Use stratified random sampling to make small assemblies demographically representative.
- Be transparent about quotas and use reputable statistical agencies to implement selection.
