Politics with the People
Building a Directly Representative Democracy

Develops and tests a new model of politics - 'directly representative democracy' - connecting citizens and officials to improve representative government.

Michael A. Neblo (Author), Kevin M. Esterling (Author), David M. J. Lazer (Author)

9781107539860, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 August 2019

184 pages, 7 b/w illus. 4 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.29 kg

'Research like this is essential at a time when democracy around the world, as well as in this country, is facing serious challenges.' David Mathews, President, Kettering Foundation

Many citizens in the US and abroad fear that democratic institutions have become weak, and continue to weaken. Politics with the People develops the principles and practice of 'directly representative democracy' - a new way of connecting citizens and elected officials to improve representative government. Sitting members of Congress agreed to meet with groups of their constituents via online, deliberative town hall meetings to discuss some of the most important and controversial issues of the day. The results from these experiments reveal a model of how our democracy could work, where politicians consult with and inform citizens in substantive discussions, and where otherwise marginalized citizens participate and are empowered. Moving beyond our broken system of interest group politics and partisan bloodsport, directly representative reforms will help restore citizens' faith in the institutions of democratic self-government, precisely at a time when those institutions themselves feel dysfunctional and endangered.

Introduction: directly representative democracy
1. The spirit and form of popular government
2. Building a new home style
3. Half of democracy
4. Rational ignorance and reasonable learning
5. (The) deliberative persuasion
6. Representative connections
7. Scaling up and scaling out
Conclusion: Republican redux.

Subject Areas: Political structures: democracy [JPHV], Political science & theory [JPA], Social, group or collective psychology [JMH]