Democracy When the People Are Thinking

Reviews / Votes

Fishkin's book is worthwhile...important work. * Margaret Petrie, University of Edinburgh, Concept * Stanford University professor Jim Fishkin has been the prime apostle and practitioner of deliberative democracy for well over 20 years, with projects in over a hundred countries and jurisdictions ranging from Mongolia to California. Now history has caught up with this pioneer. * Nathan Gardels, The World Post * This is the book of a convinced deliberative democrat who is willing to keep up the fight for democracy with the help of political imagination and institutional innovation. ..it is utterly refreshing to read a book describing, analyzing, and promoting practical designs for empowering the people to actually rule themselves. * Cristina Lafont The Good Society * This book may - and I hope will - change the face of democracy. With examples from California, Texas, Mongolia, Uganda, China, Japan, Macau, Australia, the UK, and Europe, Fishkin shows how a representative body of citizens, chosen by lot and stratified to include all relevant sections of the community, can, after deliberating, come to informed conclusions that have a major impact on key public decisions. Case upon case breaks new ground in the growing global movement to harness the intelligence and legitimacy of citizens drawn by lot. * Jane Mansbridge, Charles F. Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values, Harvard Kennedy School. * A provocative book that makes the case for the importance of deliberation as the foundation of real democracy. It challenges our beliefs about what is possible and outlines an institutional framework for creating a real deliberative democracy. It is an antidote to those who are pessimistic about the future of democracy. * Norman M. Bradburn, Senior Fellow, NORC at the University of Chicago *