Page 17 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

Citizens’ Assemblies and Civic Lottery can confidently address problems including: • Uninformed public opinion • Corruption in public institutions • Political stalemate • Tapping into local knowledge • Dealing with ethical dilemmas • Lack of trust in public institutions • Complex problems • Long-term issues vs. Short-term incentives • There are clear winners and losers • Entrenched political positions • A lack of representation in the current political process These issues focus around themes of trust, information and time. They take advantage of the benefits deliberative processes provide in all these of these themes to confidently address gaps in other democratic decision making methods such as voting or opinion polling. 15