About the book
Hélène Landemore asks what would happen if democracies did without politicians altogether, and answers that ordinary citizens, under the right conditions, could govern better. A political theorist, she holds that democracy still works even though electoral politics has failed. Drawing on ancient Athenian practice and on today's citizens' assemblies, she champions civic lotteries that choose everyday people to govern as short-term stewards of the common good rather than as career politicians. Her case rests on real-world examples and her own experience of deliberative processes in France and elsewhere, and she holds that ordinary citizens brought together this way make smarter, fairer and more forward-looking decisions.
Adam Grant included it in The New Books to Refresh Your Thinking in 2026, framing it around the idea of citizens running the government.
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Adam Grant (Author)
What if citizens ran the government?
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