Deliberative Mini-Publics as a Democratic Alternative: The Normative Desirability, Technical Feasibility, and Political Viability of Sortition


Resumen


Mini-públicos deliberativos como una alternativa democrática: la deseabilidad normativa, factibilidad técnica y viabilidad política del sorteo 


Abstract: Democratic societies are currently facing a legitimacy crisis, as evidenced by citizens’ distrust towards political institutions and parties, as well as the emergence of anti-democratic responses. To address this crisis some civil society actors and scholars have proposed alternatives based on radical egalitarian principles that can be classified as “real utopias”. To overcome the contradiction between utopia and reality, these alternatives need to extend beyond what is considered normatively desirable and must also be both technically feasible and politically viable. This paper aims to analyze sortition and mini-publics as one of those alternatives. 


Resumen: La emergencia de propuestas antidemocráticas y la desconfianza ciudadana hacia los partidos e instituciones políticas reflejan la crisis de legitimidad que atraviesan actualmente las sociedades democráticas. Para abordar esta crisis, algunos actores de la sociedad civil e investigadoras/es han propuesto alternativas basadas en principios igualitarios radicales que pueden ser clasificadas como “utopías reales”. Para superar la contradicción entre utopía y realidad, dichas alternativas deben extenderse más allá de lo normativamente deseable y deben ser también técnicamente factibles y políticamente viables. El objetivo del presente artículo es analizar el sorteo y los mini-públicos como una de esas alternativas.


Palabras clave


Democratic alternatives; real utopias; sortition; deliberative mini-publics; alternativas democráticas; utopías reales; sorteo; mini-públicos deliberativos

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Referencias


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