How to restore trust in politics

Context and Problem:

• A crisis of trust in democracy and increasing population polarization is described as a "fraud on the American public" and a driver for political disengagement.
• Representative democracy is characterized by an adversarial nature where politicians "shout at each other," evade questions, and prioritize unrepresentative grassroots bases, leading to public feelings of disempowerment and anger.

Proposed Solution: Citizens' Assemblies:

• Shirley Islam participates in a Scottish citizens' assembly, a group of ~100 randomly selected individuals designed to be a cross-section of society.
• The assembly meets in person (four times since 2019) and online during the pandemic to discuss issues and make recommendations to the Scottish Government.
• Key topics addressed by the Scottish group include drug law reform and taxing wealth to create a greener economy.
• Matthew Taylor, a global advocate who has advised two former British Prime Ministers, argues these assemblies are central to reversing the decline in trust by altering the citizen-politician relationship.

Mechanics and Benefits of Deliberative Democracy:

• Participants engage in informed, respectful dialogue with expert facilitation, focusing on listening and changing views to reach consensus.
• The process is shown to increase participant confidence, respect for differing opinions, and a sense of responsibility for societal improvement.
• Taylor contrasts this with representative democracy, noting that citizens currently play a passive role of voting every four to five years and then retreating from the process.
• Advocates argue this model provides voters with "more voice in between elections," moving beyond the binary of voting out "rascals."

Global Trends and Data:

• Citizens' assemblies are an ancient Greek concept seeing a resurgence; the OECD recorded a notable increase in deliberative processes across member countries and the EU over the past decade.
• OECD analysis of 55 cases indicates that three-quarters of public authorities implemented over half of citizens' assembly recommendations, while one-third implemented all recommendations.
• Ireland serves as a primary case study: a 2016 Citizens' Assembly on abortion legislation heard from 25 experts, reviewed 300 public submissions, and saw 87% agree laws were unfit.
• The Irish government subsequently held a referendum where two-thirds of the electorate voted in favor of abortion rights, with politicians citing the assembly's influence as a catalyst for action.

Challenges and Political Resistance:

• Critics note that some processes fail to fairly represent the population at large.
• A primary barrier is the reluctance of politicians to embrace the model due to fears of losing control over outcomes.
• Taylor recounts trying to convince Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's teams, noting they initially lacked enthusiasm when they realized they "couldn't control the outcome."
• Advocates argue that while politicians fear relinquishing power, the lack of public trust is currently the greater constraint on their authority; deliberation may ultimately grant more power by securing citizen buy-in.
• There is a risk of further public disenchantment if politicians fail to demonstrate that these processes influence actual policy outcomes.

Future Outlook:

• Matthew Taylor suggests a "tipping point" has been reached, shifting the debate from if deliberative democracy will be integrated to when and how.
• Implementation requires politicians to repeatedly show that these processes yield actionable policy results to maintain credibility.