The theoretical debate about the sortition turn

Abstract

Modern democracies have long faced several problems often described as a crisis of representative democracy. This review essay addresses the debate regarding the possible return and implementation of sortition as a tool to solve or mitigate many problems facing modern democracies. The review essay follows three authors who address this return to sortition, representing three distinct approaches. While two of the books under review think through the possible return and implementation of sortition, the third one presents a criticism of these efforts and finds such a return problematic. This review essay thus asks whether a return of this historically democratic tool is even possible and whether it can provide a solution for some of the problems associated with what we refer to as the crisis of representative democracy.

Keywords

• sortition
• representation
• democracy
• mini-publics
• democratic innovation
• non-electoral representation