Bringing out shy people could reshape politics without politicians.

Yale political theorist Hélène Landemore argues in a new book that everyday citizens, including shy and reluctant participants, can govern through randomly selected citizens' assemblies; she points to Ireland's 2016 Citizens' Assembly on abortion as a prominent example where citizens' recommendations led to a national referendum.

Hélène Landemore, a Yale political theorist, has published a book arguing that ordinary people — including shy or reluctant participants — can take a larger role in governing. She frames citizens' assemblies, composed of randomly selected members and informed by expert testimony, as an alternative to a professional political class. Landemore says modern electoral systems tend to favor bold, well-connected candidates and can under-sample traits like patience or honesty. She uses international examples to show how citizen bodies have handled sensitive issues and formed strong civic bonds. What Landemore emphasizes: - Citizens' assemblies should be randomly and representatively sampled so they include people who would not volunteer, including shy participants. - Expert input is meant to inform deliberation but not to dominate or dictate conclusions; citizens retain judgment. - Political support and institutional buy-in are necessary for assemblies' recommendations to have effect rather than remain symbolic. - Landemore highlights Ireland's 2016 Citizens' Assembly on abortion as an instance where a citizen body recommended change that later moved to a successful national referendum. - Participants in such assemblies often report strong interpersonal bonds and mutual respect across differences, including examples from recent French and other assemblies. Summary: Landemore presents citizens' assemblies as a way to broaden who participates in governance and to surface perspectives that elected elites may miss. Political will and formal institutional acceptance are required for these assemblies to influence policy, and the path to wider adoption is undetermined at this time.